Video: watch robotic utility scale solar PV installation in USA

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  • Terabase Energy, developer of Terafab, an automated utility-scale solar installation platform, announced it has successfully completed its first commercial installation.
  • The companyโ€™s โ€œfield factoryโ€ installed 17 MW of a 225 MW solar project in Arizona in development by Leeward Renewable Energy and engineering and construction contractor RES.

The Terafab system makes use of digital twins, logistics software, an on-site digital command center, a field-deployed automated assembly line, and installation rovers that can operate 24/7.

In the Arizona project, Terabase said its labor productivity improved 25% when compared with manual installation.

โ€œ[The project] demonstrates that Terabaseโ€™s technology can drive substantial progress in solar construction safety, quality, cost, and schedule,โ€ said Will Schultek, vice president of construction, RES.

The installation system cuts the amount of labor needed on-site and improves working conditions for laborers. Workers are housed in shaded and cooled conditions, allowing for system operation and installation in harsh desert environments.

Image: Terabase Energy

Reducing labor requirements to install utility-scale solar projects may prove useful for accelerating the energy transition. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) projects a demand of 800,000 new solar workers by 2030 to build the projects the United States needs to be on pace with its decarbonization plan. However, 44% of solar industryย employers reportย it is โ€œvery difficultโ€ to find qualified applicants, said the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC).

Terabaseโ€™s field factory also enabled a 100% return on solar panel packaging for reuse by the manufacturer.

Leeward Renewable Energy executive vice president of project execution Sam Mangrum said the benefits demonstrated in the project underscore the โ€œtransformative potential of automationโ€ in solar.

โ€œThis milestone marks a pivotal moment in our mission to accelerate solar plant deployment to meet the terawatt scale demands of the future,โ€ said Matt Campbell, chief executive officer at Terabase Energy. โ€œFurthermore, the Terafab system was deployed alongside our Construct digital twin software for managing and monitoring solar power plant construction.โ€

Author: Ryan Kennedy

This article was originally published in pv magazine USA and is republished with permission.

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