Terabase Energy, a start-up based in Berkeley, Calif., has developed a small mobile factory that uses robots to assemble solar modules on-site and install them on racks. The technology has already been used to install 17 megawatts of panels at a solar farm in Arizona and the company says it has made construction 25 percent faster.
Energy companies say a labor shortage is one big obstacle to installing more solar power. They’re turning to machines to speed things up. AES Corporation’s Maximo robot. It can install hundreds of solar panels, often weighing 60 pounds or more, in a single day, even when temperatures rise into the 100s Fahrenheit. AES Corporation
AES said its robot, nicknamed Maximo, would ultimately be able to install solar panels twice as fast as humans can and at half the cost.
The world’s first AI-enabled solar robot. Maximo deploys solar panels in half the time at half the cost. Maximo is a true partner to solar construction crews, using artificial intelligence to automate the heavy lifting of solar panels and accelerate solar installation. Automated: A high-speed robotic arm performs the precise panel installation.
Sarcos plans to commercially launch its autonomous robot that installs solar panels in 2024 after achieving final validation for the US DOE.
The technology has already been used to install 17 megawatts of panels at a solar farm in Arizona and the company says it has made construction 25 percent faster. Terabase has developed a small mobile factory that uses robots to assemble solar modules on-site and install them on racks.