Charge Robotics has created portable factories that automatically build solar farm sections on-site, slashing installation time and costs for utility-scale projects, reported MIT News.
The company, founded by MIT graduates, ships complete assembly systems to solar construction sites. Their robotic factories take in solar panels, mounting brackets, and tracks, then piece together finished sections of solar farms.
A robotic vehicle moves each completed section to its final spot in the field. The system handles all mechanical installation except driving the initial metal stakes into the ground.
As solar equipment costs have fallen sharply, installation expenses comprise a larger share of project budgets. Installation delays have become another barrier to solar energy growth.
"We think of this as the Henry Ford moment for solar," said CEO Banks Hunter, who co-founded the company with fellow MIT graduate Max Justicz. "We're going from a very bespoke, hands on, manual installation process to something much more streamlined."
The founders discovered the problem firsthand when they visited construction sites for large solar farms. At one site in California's Mojave Desert, thousands of workers spent months doing repetitive assembly tasks by hand.
"The site had something like 2 million panels on it, and every single one was assembled and fastened the same way by hand," Hunter explained. "Max and I thought it was insane."
Solar companies told them labor shortages were their biggest barrier to growth. Charge's factories include vision systems that scan each part for quality control. The systems work with standard solar components and panel sizes.
Construction companies were skeptical at first. "The initial feedback was basically, 'This will never work,'" Hunter noted. But after seeing the system operate in the field, attitudes changed quickly.
The company completed a pilot project with SOLV Energy, a large solar installation company. Charge has now raised $22 million for commercial deployments starting later this year.
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The cost 💰 Multiple factories can operate at the same site and run around the clock to speed up projects. The approach lets construction companies build much larger installations with the same workforce.
If you're considering solar for your home, this technology could eventually make residential installations faster and cheaper, too.
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