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Fortune 500 global energy company Applied Energy Services Corporation (AES) recently introduced Maximo, an AI-enabled cobot that it said can enhance solar installation speed, efficiency, and safety.
Maximo is an autonomous vehicle equipped with robot arms that works alongside construction teams to help meet rapidly growing renewable energy demand.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) July 2024 Executive Summary, solar annual additions are expected to triple by 2035, and the workforce will need to nearly double.
AES said its Maximo can install solar panels in less time at a lower cost than current methods, working together with on-the-ground crews to accelerate renewable energy deployment, reducing time-to-power for customers.
"Maximo is the first proven solar installation robot on the market," said Andrés Gluski, AES president and CEO. "We are facing unprecedented increases in demand, driven in large part by the rise of AI and data centers, and innovations like these will be fundamental for accelerating our ability to bring projects online faster and with greater efficiency."
Maximo can enhance the safety and scalability of solar installation by automating the heavy lifting for picking, placing, and attaching solar modules.
"Today, the U.S. solar industry is setting an impressive pace, installing about 15,000 modules per hour, weighing one million pounds. Looking ahead, this installation rate is projected to reach 50,000 modules per hour by 2035," said Chris Shelton, AES chief product officer. "In response to this exponential growth, we are scaling Maximo, deploying fleets of continually improving robots to empower our teams for faster and more competitive installations."
Maximo's features include:
AES said its robot can help accelerate project timelines, create new high-tech jobs, and bring opportunities to new segments of the workforce. Maximo expands job opportunities in solar installation, while providing individuals the experience to develop AI skills and learn emerging technologies, AES said.
Maximo has already installed nearly 10 megawatts (MW) of solar and is projected to install 100 MW by 2025. AES expects to use Maximo to help build up to 5 gigawatts (GW) of its solar backlog and pipeline over the next three years.
AES will utilize Maximo in its construction of the 2 GW Bellefield project in Kern County, Calif., a solar-plus-storage project under contract with Amazon.
The Oak Ridge Solar project in Louisiana, also helping power Amazon operations, was a significant milestone in Maximo's journey as its first utility-scale deployment, AES said.
"As society's energy needs grow, the demand for new solar and wind projects are also increasing, requiring us to innovate so we can scale more quickly," said Chris Walker, Amazon-Web-Services (AWS) director of sustainability. "We're excited to collaborate with renewable energy developers like AES that are prioritizing the use of AI technologies that can help us fast-forward to a carbon-free energy future."
Maximo can perform in a broad range of climates and lighting conditions, and has been validated in the field across a variety of U.S. project sites. It will begin installation at the Bellefield solar field in August.
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