This Friendly Robot Just Installed 100 MW of Solar Power - Slashdot

This Friendly Robot Just Installed 100 MW of Solar Power - Slashdot
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Utility-scale solar construction... by robots! It's "one of the largest real-world demonstrations,"
notes
Electrek
, with 100 MW of capacity installed by the "Maximo" robots from AES, one of the world's top power companies.
Maximo uses AI "to automate the heavy lifting of solar panels and accelerate solar installation,"
according to their web page
, which shows a video of Maximo at work installing a vast field of solar panels in Kern County, California. With assistance from Nvidia, the Maximo team could "develop, test and refine robotic capabilities through physics-based simulation and AI driven modeling before deploying updates in the field,"
reports
Electrek
, and they're aiming for a full GW of solar generating capacity:
After
completing the first half of the Bellefield complex last summer
, Maximo engineers went into a higher gear, with the latest version 3.0 robots consistently surpassing an installation rate of one module per minute, with construction crews installing as many as 24 solar panel modules per hour, per person. If that sounds fast,
that's because it is
. At full tilt, the latest Maximo robot-equipped crews have nearly doubled the output of traditional installation methods at similar solar locations throughout Southern California.
"Reaching 100 MW is an important milestone for Maximo and for the role robotics can play in solar construction," explains Chris Shelton, president of Maximo. "It demonstrates that field robotics can move beyond experimentation and deliver consistent results at utility scale. As solar deployment continues to accelerate globally, technologies that improve installation speed, quality and reliability will become increasingly important...."
Like just about every other business that demands a high degree of physical labor, the construction industry is facing huge labor shortages, making
machines like Maximo that provide real efficiency gains
welcome additions to the job site.
"The combination of AI, vision, robotics and simulation driven engineering reduced development and validation timelines," the Maximo team said in a statement, "and increased confidence in field performance as the robotic fleet scaled."
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This Friendly Robot Just Installed 100 MW of Solar Power
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This Friendly Robot Just Installed 100 MW of Solar Power
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Looks like a robotic arm on a rail
Score:
, Interesting)
by
93 Escort Wagon
( 326346 )
writes:
on Sunday March 29, 2026 @03:55PM (
#66067746
This doesn't seem like particularly new tech, just a tweak on what the automotive industry has been using for several dacades. I'd also be curious if that "twice as fast" calculation takes into account the time necessary for setting up the necessary rails etc. required for the Maximo robots to operate.
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Re: Looks like a robotic arm on a rail
Score:
, Informative)
by
SuperDre
( 982372 )
writes:
on Sunday March 29, 2026 @04:11PM (
#66067772
Homepage
What rails? This robot has tracks like a mini excavator, so it can drive anywhere.
And yeah it is the same type of industrial robot, but not on a fixed position with a fixed power supply you can run 24/7. So the robot has to deal with uneven surfaces and distances from the solarpanel mountrail.
Parent
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Re: Looks like a robotic arm on a rail
Score:
, Informative)
by
jsonn
( 792303 )
writes:
on Sunday March 29, 2026 @05:43PM (
#66067906
Properly installed PV panels don't ruin nature, they can actually help nature. Most plants don't like full solar power all day and prefer shades. Same for animals.
Parent
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Re: Looks like a robotic arm on a rail
Score:
, Informative)
by
SnotMelon
( 9070565 )
writes:
on Sunday March 29, 2026 @06:10PM (
#66067934
If you check the location of this installation you'll find it's right next to Mojave, so pretty much desert not productive farmland. I'm not saying that's always the case but they are usually sited in areas where farming isn't possible, or marginal, not on prime agricultural land.
Parent
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Re:
Score:
by
saloomy
( 2817221 )
writes:
Desert is beige, and fosters quite a bit of life, much of it bugs etc. Solar panels are black. They will heat up more than the sand. That was my point. Plus even if this were untrue, the shade they provide would be better served in parking lots, near the consumption of electricity. rather than transporting it a hundred miles to San Diego or Phoenix. In the video, it looks like there is quite a bit of green, vs the Dunes of the empty quarter in Arabia or the sands of the Sahara
Re:
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by
Barsteward
( 969998 )
writes:
Solar panels on deserts are regreening them so they are cooling not heating. The data is out there if you could be bothered to look for it instead of guessing
Re: Looks like a robotic arm on a rail
Score:
, Interesting)
by
WaffleMonster
( 969671 )
writes:
on Sunday March 29, 2026 @08:33PM (
#66068102
Solar panels on deserts are regreening them so they are cooling not heating.
Sand reflects about 70% of solar energy, solar panels reflect about 10% plus another 20% in harvested energy which still leaves you with twice the amount of absorbed energy vs sand.
Greening occurs due to reduced surface temperatures / evaporation due to panel shading.
Parent
Share
Re:
Score:
by
AmiMoJo
( 196126 )
writes:
The Chinese have these kinds of robots deploying much larger installations. They also have drones that fly panels into mountainous areas for installation.
Not that I'm knocking it, it's good that they are copying good ideas. The cheaper solar gets the better, and for political reasons stuff like this has to be home grown.
Re:
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by
gtall
( 79522 )
writes:
Gee, it is almost as if the U.S. government needs to encourage homegrown solar panels. If only the U.S. could find such a government.
Re:
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by
thegarbz
( 1787294 )
writes:
This doesn't seem like particularly new tech, just a tweak on what the automotive industry has been using for several dacades.
I can tell you were desperate to comment without actually looking at the video. There are no rails. This is the exact opposite of the automotive industry where the part being worked on goes to the robot, not the other way around.
Please do everyone a favour and every so often educate yourself before posting.
It's a shame
Score:
, Funny)
by
Whooty McWhooface
( 4881303 )
writes:
on Sunday March 29, 2026 @04:13PM (
#66067776
Their gonna fall just short of the 1.21 Gigawatts Doc Brown needs.
Share
NOT friendly.
Score:
, Funny)
by
Gravis Zero
( 934156 )
writes:
on Sunday March 29, 2026 @04:13PM (
#66067778
I was so proud of this robot that I went up and gave it a hug. Everyone around me started yelling at me to get away and then the robot tried to install a solar panel on me. Long story short, I ended up in the hospital with a restraining order against to stay away from the robot.
THIS ROBOT IS NOT FRIENDLY.
Share
Re:
Score:
by
nospam007
( 722110 )
writes:
How much power do you generate now?
Re:
Score:
by
outsider007
( 115534 )
writes:
They know
exactly what they're doing.
[apnews.com]
superiority
Score:
by
Pseudonymous Powers
( 4097097 )
writes:
How much does the robot cost? If can can speed things up to "up to" twice as fast per person over traditional methods, is it cheaper than twice as many people equipped with twice as much traditional equipment? What proportion of the time does it get "up to" double the speed? Does it use more or less energy than traditional equipment? Does it break down more or less often than traditional equipment? How much does getting it serviced cost, compared to traditional equipment?
Re:
Score:
by
sarren1901
( 5415506 )
writes:
The robot is considered capital and comes with a depreciation schedule, just like any other equipment does. If it reduces how many humans are required to setup these solar panel installations, then it will likely pay itself off quickly enough and then be "free" after that, since it's still working while not being paid like a human would require.
Obviously it would help if we knew what the average wage for a human in this job makes and what the cost of the robot is, but I'm sure they know and it's very likely
Why didn't Tesla Optimus get the job?
Score:
by
Thud457
( 234763 )
writes:
Hmm, they're using a task specialized robot to do real world things, not some delusional AI investor fleecing machine. I guess right tool for the job and all that.
Re:
Score:
by
saloomy
( 2817221 )
writes:
Actually this doesnt matter. The first cars were not as fast as the first horses. Nor were the first trains. They also broke down more, cost far more, and needed more expensive "feed". Time will fix those concerns. You do not set out to create a car and come out with a McLaren P1, or a Honda Civic, or a city bus. The real problem is WHERE it is designed to operate, and that is: not on parking lots or industrial rooftops where solar should be.
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Score:
by
angel'o'sphere
( 80593 )
writes:
The robot can very well work on parking lots, and with minimal adaption on flat industrial roof tops.
Your parent is just a troll, with typical troll questions, to make him look interesting.
In my eyes he just looks dumb. He could visit the web site of the corporation producing the robot, and ask for a quote
...
Re:
Score:
by
rta
( 559125 )
writes:
relatedly, i'd like to highlight how much world view gets smuggled in in THIS line:
Like just about every other business that demands a high degree of physical labor, the construction industry is facing huge labor shortages,
...
Umm.... "physical labor" is among the lowest barrier to entry for labor that there is. The workers there don't need decades of schooling or some particularly scarce talent.
So if a company can't find such workers... then it's because they're not paying enough (in the broad sense of wages + benefits + stability + work environment).
(to what degree i'm applying sober systems thinking to the problem vs just becoming a commie mo
Re:
Score:
by
BeaverCleaver
( 673164 )
writes:
So if a company can't find such workers... then it's because they're not paying enough (in the broad sense of wages + benefits + stability + work environment).
(to what degree i'm applying sober systems thinking to the problem vs just becoming a commie moocher in my middle age idk... but just today the whole concept of "labor shortage" seems dishonest / offensive)
This is insightful. There's no "labor shortage," there's a shortage of suckers who will work under their shitty/pay/conditions.
I think this is related to the lie that is the "cost of living crisis." This should realistically be called a "corporate greed crisis." Corporate profits are through the roof. The problem is that the corporations don't want to reduce their prices so they're squeezing the consumer. We consumers are partly responsible too, because we vote for assholes who enable this. Voters are terri
Re:
Score:
by
angel'o'sphere
( 80593 )
writes:
Okay, then please make a list in your mind, what all has to be done to what kind of quality standard, when you install a 100MW solar plant.
Hint
... having 4 human mules carrying a $500 panel per piece around: is not the main factor of manual labour.
Baby steps
Score:
by
Kernel Kurtz
( 182424 )
writes:
If the AGIs are going to satisfy their thirst for endless energy, they will need even more advanced versions of this for when there are no humans. I'm sure they will appreciate the head start we give them in life.
Re:
Score:
by
93 Escort Wagon
( 326346 )
writes:
Screw the solar-panel-deploying robots... it sounds like what we really need are Dyson-sphere-building robots!
Re:
Score:
by
sarren1901
( 5415506 )
writes:
Baby steps. We first need to get space mining and space manufacturing going before we can start on our Dyson sphere. Without those precursors, I doubt we even have enough raw materials on Earth to build such a thing.
Re:
Score:
by
Idzy
( 1549809 )
writes:
that's because it will take a good percentage of the materials available in the solar system (earth is just a drop in the bucket) to build a dyson sphere
Electrek sucks ***. it's mostly clickbait
Score:
by
rta
( 559125 )
writes:
on Sunday March 29, 2026 @05:38PM (
#66067898
I read the headline. Was excited.
a second later saw it was an "electrek.co" link and my heart sank.
Clicked through anyway... and sadly confirmed that it is a kernel of truth, but wrapped in misleading exaggeration. It's propaganda and boosterism rather than a concise and informative take. And this happens basically for every
/. story from them.
e.g. i look forward to this summer's inevitable series about the records for how many hundreds of days California has run on 100% solar energy....
i forget exactly the phrasing, but it's the same technically true, but it doesn't mean what they claim it means thing every time.
basically it is not "p-hacking" it's "importance hacking":
Importance Hack - get a result that is actually not interesting, not important, and not valuable, but write about it in such a way that reviewers are convinced it is interesting, important, and/or valuable so that it gets published. In other words, Importance Hacking means taking a result that competent peer reviewers would not be likely to view as worthy of publication, and telling a story about those results that causes those reviewers to misperceive it as being worthy of publication. Unlike p-hacked results, importance hacked results do replicate. If you re-did the same study on a similar population, you would be very likely to get the same results as the original study. But the results don't have the meaning or importance that they were claimed to have.
from
[clearerthinking.org]
i got this concept from the "Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg" podcast where it comes up every once in a while. He's some math PhD dude who some years ago started running replication studies in Psychology. He's some sort of mover in the Rationality space... i should look up his full bio because i've only inferred his path so far. In any case, the podcast is not about the replication stuff per se, just interviews with various people about data / thinking / psychology stuff.
Often a good podcast
[clearerthinking.org] i wish he was somewhat tougher on his guests, but still generally gets them to fair presentation of their views, for better or worse.
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I Wanna See
Score:
by
SlashbotAgent
( 6477336 )
writes:
I want to see it run for a day against a crew of Mexicans. How does it compare up in terns of price and performance.
Re:
Score:
by
Anonymous Coward
writes:
You'd have to figure in the risk of ICE taking away your crew. They won't bother a robot; the company that makes it is American.
What about everything else?
Score:
by
WaffleMonster
( 969671 )
writes:
on Sunday March 29, 2026 @08:17PM (
#66068088
Screwing panels into place once you've poured all the concrete, installed ground mounts, run all the wiring and electrical boxes is like getting to the 10 yard line and only then breaking out the automation.
Share
What about tile roofs?
Score:
by
eagl
( 86459 )
writes:
I hate to say it but until it can install solar onto an expensive "100 year" tile roof that is somehow also extremely fragile, I can't be bothered. My stupid 100 year tile roof would cost over $80,000 to replace, and "market rate" maintenance is about $150 PER TILE.
Until solar can be safely installed on THAT kind of roof (very common in my area), it's just something that other people do.
I'm interested in "balcony solar" since apparently it's kind of legal now in more areas, but I don't have the correct met
Re:
Score:
by
BeaverCleaver
( 673164 )
writes:
I hate to say it but until it can install solar onto an expensive "100 year" tile roof that is somehow also extremely fragile, I can't be bothered. My stupid 100 year tile roof would cost over $80,000 to replace, and "market rate" maintenance is about $150 PER TILE.
Until solar can be safely installed on THAT kind of roof (very common in my area), it's just something that other people do.
I have concrete tiles on my roof. They
look
a bit like terracotta tiles but they are just moulded concrete. They are just over 50 years old. In 2020 we hadd 5.6kW of photovoltaics fitted on the roof. The photovoltaics were mounted on rails about 100mm above the roof. The rails are attached to the same timber battens that hold the original tiles, which remain in place. We had to replace a dozen or so tiles after the solar panels we fitted due to the accumulated 50 years of damage and some additional damage f
Re:
Score:
by
rta
( 559125 )
writes:
I'm interested in "balcony solar" since apparently it's kind of legal now in more areas, but I don't have the correct meter and installing a solar meter would cost 4x what a top of the line balcony solar kit would cost. If the utility would install a solar meter and associated panel hardware/wiring for free, I'd max out balcony solar tomorrow. As it is, there's zero payout ever due to the up front costs and outdated regulatory hurdles.
Can that robot install a solar-rated power panel and meter? That would be useful.
What kind of system are you talking about? i.e. what output and how would it be connected?
My understanding is that, in a few states at least, they now allow "plug-in balcony solar" at 800W or 1200W (?) which literally plugs into normal socket. TBH it sounds a bit sketchy to me but i can't enumerate a unique risk compared to other things like space heaters. (maybe if the inverter does "something weird" and mumble mumble "fire!"
... but that's true of like... everything )
[sierraclub.org]
Re:
Score:
by
eagl
( 86459 )
writes:
I've started getting ads in my area (southern california) for "legal" balcony solar add-on kits. Under 2KW systems that as you say, just plug into a socket. Unfortunately they still require the solar meter which requires permits and an electrician, all of which is several times the cost of the actual balcony solar kit.
For an owner like me with a regular meter and panel, I can't just buy one of those kits. I'd have to get the meter and panel modified first. And that's very expensive.
Re:
Score:
by
rta
( 559125 )
writes:
Interesting. Sounds like they're imposing the full solar requirements.
it looks like there's proposed legislation this year in CA (SB 868) that's aiming to allow 1.2KW plug-in systems w/o those changes.
we'll see if it goes anywhere.
(6) Includes a feature, certified by Underwriters Laboratories or an equivalent nationally recognized testing laboratory, that isolates the portable solar generation device from the building’s electrical system to prevent the portable solar generation device from backfeeding electricity to the electrical grid during a power outage.
...
[can't require to:]
(3) Install any additional controls or equipment beyond what is integrated into the portable solar generation device.
[ca.gov]
(via
[pv-magazine-usa.com] )
Re:
Score:
by
eagl
( 86459 )
writes:
The solar compatible meter does a couple of things. First, it allows solar generated power to go back to the grid if on-site usage is below generated power levels. Second, it communicates with the utility company so they can manage the entire grid. Third, I *think* it both prevents consumer-generated power from leaking onto the grid during outages, and notifies the utility that there is on-site power generation. The last point is critical for safety - If your house is "hot" during an outage, that power
Re:
Score:
by
WaffleMonster
( 969671 )
writes:
The solar compatible meter does a couple of things. First, it allows solar generated power to go back to the grid if on-site usage is below generated power levels. Second, it communicates with the utility company so they can manage the entire grid. Third, I *think* it both prevents consumer-generated power from leaking onto the grid during outages, and notifies the utility that there is on-site power generation. The last point is critical for safety - If your house is "hot" during an outage, that power can't be permitted to leak onto the grid otherwise it would be extremely hazardous to workers that are restoring service.
The balcony solar kits are supposed to monitor grid power and they're supposed to shut off the power if grid power goes out. That's a lot of *should*. A certified solar compatible meter and panel solves that part of the problem, but it's stupidly expensive due to the regulatory requirements for permits and electricians to do the work. A homeowner can't simply ask the utility company to put in a solar meter. There's more to it and it makes the costs skyrocket.
The issue with the meters is some don't have the ability to measure direction of flow. If you install a balcony solar system and it produces more energy than you are using at the time the energy you are putting back into the grid is counted as energy consumed and you end up being billed for it.
A workaround is some balcony kits have CTs you place around the main conductors feeding your panel. The solar inverter will use the CT to ensure no excess energy is exported.
All micro inverter kits have working anti
Re:
Score:
by
WaffleMonster
( 969671 )
writes:
In what country is it legal to sell such balcony solar systems?
It is popular throughout the world with many millions of installs. Half the country (USA) has legislation allowing balcony either already on the books or in process.
And what country has such odd meters that flow into the wrong direction makes it count the same as the right direction?
With a unidirectional meter you can have counting of reverse flow be blocked or count as an absolute value of flow against you. I don't know the details about models and reasons for it yet I know people with these meters have been charged for unintentional export because they for example had the CT installed backwards.
Re:
Score:
by
angel'o'sphere
( 80593 )
writes:
No where in the world (except perhaps your place), it is legal that a balcony solar plant feeds into the grid when the grid power is gone. In Germany it is explicitly checked when you install one.
The ones I know from Thailand are imported from China: they all switch off when the grid power / frequency is gone.
You would manually need to bridge that
...
I know people with these meters have been charged for unintentional export because they for example had the CT installed backwards.
That does not make any sens
all of these breathless stories... no video of it.
Score:
by
bruceki
( 5147215 )
writes:
Seems odd that they're touting the installation of panels, but none of the stories have any video of the process actually ocurring. They talk about 24 hour a day installation but you'd think that they would show it.
Plunking down solar panels is 1% of the effort
Score:
, Insightful)
by
sinkskinkshrieks
( 6952954 )
writes:
on Monday March 30, 2026 @02:43AM (
#66068422
This is complete bullshit. The 99% is clearing brush, leveling ground, removing rocks, staking down overlapping sections of vegetation barriers, making electrical connections, programming equipment, and cementing and caging cables and junction boxes so the copper doesn't get stolen.
Share
Re:
Score:
by
packrat0x
( 798359 )
writes:
...and junction boxes so the copper doesn't get stolen.
Aluminum
Anyone using copper for a solar farm is either crazy or spending taxpayer dollars.
Robot is to be banned
Score:
by
Epeeist
( 2682 )
writes:
Orange man says solar, like windmills, doesn't work. So he is going to ban it from installing solar and make it drill for oil instead.
Re:
Score:
by
granaiogeek
( 931991 )
writes:
Fuck Trump and his fossil fuel fetish.
"friendly"
Score:
by
iwulinux
( 655433 )
writes:
There's nothing friendly or unfriendly about it. Why are they trying to assign a personality and intentions to a drone? Here's the realistic headline: "This robot just put several solar installers out of work so its owners could buy a third yacht sooner."
So the robot installs like humans but faster? dumb
Score:
by
Locutus
( 9039 )
writes:
Why would they build a machine which just does what humans do in the field instead of building a stationary machine in a factory which builds 20' long sections which fit on a Semi trailer( 2 sections end to end and 2 sections side by side ) and then just have a standard crane on wheels run the sections out onto pre-installed posts? They are talking about "utility scale" installations so the ground has been leveled and prepped so it's not like the custom layouts needed for root-top distributed solar install
A Friendly Robot?
Score:
by
pahles
( 701275 )
writes:
It is not 'friendly'. And it is not a robot. Does it do things on its own? Nope. A real human had to push a button for it to lay a solar panel on (previously installed - by humans) poles. Can it do it quicker? Probably. But it is not a robot. You don't call a power drill a robot, because it is quicker in creating a hole in the wall.
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