Sarcos Technology and Robotics CorAdvanced robot systems supplier p. has completed the final validation of its O-AMPP project. Sarcos partnered with Mortenson, JLG Industries, Array Technologies and Pratt Miller to validate the project with a field trial at Mortenson’s project site.
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), annual solar installations must increase by 60 percent between now and 2030 to meet the Biden administration’s climate goals of 30 percent of U.S. electricity generation by 2030. SEIA estimates that the workforce is expected to grow by almost 900,000 new employees.
Given current labor constraints—the U.S. solar industry employed about 230,000 workers in 2020—and the labor-intensive solar installation process, the solar field construction market represents a potentially massive addressable market for robotic technology, according to Sarcos.
The O-AMPP project, which began in 2021 with funding from the US Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO), aims to streamline the construction of a solar field into a single harmonized robotic system that delivers, detects, lifts and deploys solar power. modules in the field. The benefits of adopting a solar building system include lower soft costs of projects; the ability to participate in several projects at the same time; improved construction schedules and quality; and a safer job site that reduces the risk of injury, including lifting and fatigue injuries.
During validation, a proof-of-concept O-AMPP system consisting of an autonomous work vehicle (AWV) and an autonomous delivery vehicle (ADV) equipped with the Guardian XM robotic system was used. for installation. Sarcos partnered with several companies to conduct this testing: Mortenson provided subject matter expertise and a validation site; JLG Industries supplied the mobile elevating work platform used in the AWV, where the Guardian XM robotic system was installed and integrated; Array Technologies provided tracking technology as well as engineering resources; and Pratt Miller provided the mobile base with a flexible robotic platform with a PM-ADS autonomous system on which the ADV prototype was built.
Sarcos plans to bring its robotic solar field construction solution to the commercial market in 2024.
