As the cost of solar panels has dropped considerably over the last few decades, installation expenses have begun to occupy a larger portion of the overall price for this technology. The prolonged installation duration for solar farms is also becoming a significant obstacle in the rollout of solar power.
At present, the startup Charge Robotics is constructing solar assembly plants to accelerate the creation of extensive solar farms. The company’s factories are transported to the locations of utility solar endeavors, where components like tracks, mounting supports, and panels are introduced into the system and assembled automatically. A robotic vehicle independently places the finished unit — which constitutes a completed segment of the solar farm — in its designated area.
“We see this as the Henry Ford moment for solar,” states CEO Banks Hunter ’15, who co-founded Charge Robotics with fellow MIT graduate Max Justicz ’17. “We’re transitioning from a highly customized, hands-on, manual installation method to something far more efficient and prepared for mass production. There are numerous advantages that accompany this transition, such as consistency, quality, speed, affordability, and safety.”
Last year, solar power represented 81 percent of the new electrical capacity in the U.S., and Hunter and Justicz perceive their factories as essential for ongoing growth in the sector.
The founders mention that initial skepticism greeted them when they first revealed their intentions. However, early last year, they deployed a prototype system that successfully constructed a solar farm in collaboration with SOLV Energy, one of the largest solar installation companies in the U.S. Now, Charge has secured $22 million for its inaugural commercial launches later this year.
From surgical robots to solar robots
While pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering at MIT, Hunter found numerous justifications to create various projects. One remarkable excuse was Course 2.009 (Production Engineering Processes), where he and his classmates developed a smart watch intended for communication in remote locations.
After completing his degree, Hunter worked for startup companies founded by MIT alumni, including Shaper Tools and Vicarious Surgical. Vicarious Surgical is a medical robotics firm that has garnered over $450 million to date. Banks was the second hire and spent five years there.
“Numerous hands-on, project-based courses at MIT directly influenced my initial roles after graduation and prepared me to be independent and manage significant engineering projects,” Banks shares. “Course 2.009, in particular, was a significant catalyst for my career. The founders of Vicarious Surgical connected with me through the 2.009 network.”
By 2017, Hunter and Justicz, who studied mechanical engineering and computer science, had begun contemplating the idea of launching a company together. However, they needed to determine how to utilize their diverse engineering and product expertise.
“Both of us are deeply concerned about climate change. We identify climate change as the most pressing issue affecting the largest number of individuals on the planet,” Hunter explains. “Our mindset was that if we can create anything, we should focus on developing something of true significance.”
Through extensive outreach with hundreds in the energy sector, the founders concluded that solar was the future of energy production due to its rapidly declining costs.
“It’s becoming more economical faster than any other method of energy production in human history,” Hunter asserts.
Upon visiting construction sites for the large, utility-scale solar farms that dominate energy generation, they encountered evident bottlenecks. The initial location they examined was in California’s Mojave Desert. Hunter describes it as an enormous dust flat where thousands of laborers spent months repeatedly performing tasks such as relocating materials and assembling identical components, time and time again.
“The site had around 2 million panels, and every single one was assembled and secured manually,” Hunter reflects. “Max and I found it absurd. There’s no chance that can scale up to revolutionize the energy grid within a short timeframe.”
Hunter learned from the leading solar companies in the U.S. that their primary constraint for expansion was labor shortages. This issue was hindering growth and jeopardizing projects.
“From that point, we devised a portable assembly line that could be shipped to construction sites, enabling us to feed the entire solar system, including the steel tracks, mounting brackets, fasteners, and the solar panels,” Hunter clarifies. “The assembly line automatically assembles all these elements to create finished solar bays, which are sections of a solar farm.”
Each bay signifies a 40-foot segment of the solar farm and weighs around 800 pounds. A robotic vehicle transports it to its final position in the field. Banks shares that Charge’s system automates all mechanical installation aside from the task of driving the initial metal stakes into the ground.
Charge’s assembly lines are equipped with machine-vision technology that inspects each component to guarantee quality, and the systems are compatible with the most common solar components and panel dimensions.
From pilot to product
When the founders began presenting their concepts to investors and construction firms, many were doubtful about its feasibility.
“The initial reactions were essentially, ‘This will never succeed,’” Hunter recounts. “But once we deployed our first system in the field and people witnessed it in action, their enthusiasm increased significantly, and they began to believe it was viable.”
Since that first deployment, Charge’s team has been improving the system’s speed and ease of use. The company intends to establish its factories at project sites and operate them alongside solar construction firms. The factories could even function in conjunction with human workers.
“With our system, individuals are controlling robotic machines remotely rather than manually inserting screws,” Hunter elucidates. “We essentially deliver the assembled solar setups to clients. Their sole responsibility is to provide the materials and components on large pallets that we utilize in our system.”
Hunter states that multiple factories could be positioned at the same location and could operate continuously to significantly expedite projects.
“We are nearing the boundaries of solar expansion because these companies lack sufficient personnel,” Hunter states. “We can construct much larger sites at a much quicker pace using the same crew by simply deploying more of our factories. It represents a fundamentally novel approach to scaling solar energy.”