Startup Charge Robotics: autonomous robot technology - fully autonomous system 'Sunrise' for solar construction

Published on: March 12, 2025 / update from: March 13, 2025 - Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

Startup Charge Robotics: Autonomous Robot Technology - Fully autonomous system 'Sunrise' for solar construction - Image: Courtesy of Charge Robotics

Automation meets energy: Charge Robotics accelerates the energy transition

Charge Robotics: The Gamechanger for the Global Solar Industry

Solar energy experiences an unprecedented upswing in the global energy landscape, but its distribution is slowed down by installation bottlenecks and shortage of labor. With its fully automatic “Sunrise” system, the innovative start-up Charge Robotics has developed a groundbreaking solution that revolutionizes the construction of large-scale solar parks. This autonomous system can almost independently assemble complete solar fields and promises to eliminate a decisive bottleneck in scaling solar energy. The technology comes at a critical time when the solar industry is growing rapidly - in the United States alone, solar energy made 81 percent of new electricity capacities last year. With its mobile factory, which can be transported directly to construction sites, automated assembly processes and integrated quality control could contribute significantly to the acceleration of the energy transition.

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The mobile factory: a new concept for the solar parking building

The “Sunrise” system developed by Charge Robotics represents a paradigm shift in the installation of large -scale solar systems. The company has created a portable factory that can be brought directly to the construction sites of solar parks, where it automatically takes over the assembly. The functionality is similar to an industrial assembly line: the factory is fed with materials such as rails, brackets and solar panels, which are then composed by high -precision robotic arms - comparable to those for surgical interventions. After assembly, the finished components are transported, screwed and wired by autonomous vehicles to their final position in the solar field. This innovative concept is referred to by Banks Hunter, the co-founder and CEO of Charge Robotics, as “Henry Ford moment for solar energy”-a reference to the revolutionary assembly line production in the automotive industry, which once enabled mass production.

The process begins after the first posts are anchored in the ground - the only step that still has to be carried out manually. The system then takes over the assembly of all components for an approximately 15 meter long field before material has to be refilled and a new starting point is set. Each completed unit, referred to as “Solar Bay”, represents a 40-foot segment of the solar system and weighs about 363 kilograms. A specialized robot vehicle transports these units to their final location in the field. Despite the high degree of automation, a small team of system operators, drivers and technicians remains necessary to monitor the processes and ensure materialistribution.

Technical innovation and quality assurance

The technological sophistication of the Sunrise system goes far beyond the pure assembly. It integrates advanced computer vision systems that scan every component and thus ensure continuous quality control. These machinery systems ensure that each element is correctly positioned and assembled, which minimizes the error rate and increases the reliability of the installed solar systems. The flexibility of the system is remarkable: it was developed to be compatible with the most common solar parts and panel sizes, which enables its broad operational capacity in different projects.

The first successful implementation of this system took place in early 2024 in cooperation with Solv Energy, one of the largest solar installers in the USA. This partnership marks an important milestone not only for Charge Robotics, but for the entire solar industry. George Hershman, CEO of Solv Energy, emphasized the need for new solutions: “It is obvious that the current methods for solar installation are not sufficient to transform the power grid. We need new solutions and approaches to keep up with the rapidly growing demand ”.

The need for automation in the solar industry

Solar energy has experienced a remarkable drop in prices in recent decades, which makes the installation costs an increasing share of the total price. At the same time, the installation process has become a crucial bottleneck in spreading solar energy. The reasons for this are varied: the structure of solar modules is much more labor -intensive than their production in a factory. This becomes a problem, especially for large systems with several gigawatts that extend over several square kilometers and consist of millions of individual modules.

A simple calculation illustrates the dimension: Assuming that it would take ten minutes to screw a module and cable correctly, around 500,000 working hours would be required for a gigawatt solar performance - a work volume that would employ 200 trained workers over a year. These enormous requirements encounter an existing shortage of workers, which is the greatest restriction for the scaling of the solar industry. Banks Hunter and Max Justicz, the founders of Charge Robotics, recognized this problem when they visited construction sites for large -scale solar parks. Hunter describes a system in the Mojave desert in California as a “massive cloud of dust, in which thousands of workers repeatedly repeat tasks such as the transport of material and the assembly of it”.

The scaling challenge

The solar industry is facing a huge scaling task. In order to achieve the goal of the Solar Energy Industries Association (Seia) of almost 850 gigawatt solar energy by 2030, the annual solar expansion must be increased by seven times compared to 2020. This goal appears unreachable with the current methods. This is where Charge Robotics technology comes in: it promises to eliminate a key bottleneck in the expansion of national solar energy and thus pave the way for a faster energy transition.

The need for such a solution is underlined by the current upswing of the solar energy. Last year, 81 percent of new electricity capacities in the United States accounted for solar energy. Hunter and Justicz see their factories essential for further acceleration in this industry. The advantages of automation are diverse: it not only promises an acceleration of the construction pace and a reduction in electricity costs, but also directly addresses the shortage of labor, which hinders solar expansion at the required pace in many countries.

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Economic and practical advantages of Sunrise technology

The introduction of Charge Robotics's Sunrise technology brings with it significant economic and practical advantages. The system primarily enables an impressive increase in the installation speed - according to the company, a solar capacity of a megawatts can be installed every day with the help of this technology. This increase in efficiency has a direct impact on project costs and time plans, which in turn improves the overall economic of solar projects.

Another important advantage lies in the consistency and quality of the installation. Automation minimizes human errors and ensure consistently high quality. The integrated computer vision systems carry out continuous quality controls, which increases the reliability and durability of the installed systems. In addition, technology improves occupational safety by automating dangerous or physically stressful activities and thus reducing the risk of injury for workers.

The economy is further increased by the fact that despite the automation, only a small team is required for surveillance. This directly addresses the shortage of workers in the industry and enables companies to use their qualified employees more efficiently. George Hershman from Solv Energy confirmed the potential of this technology: "It offers the possibility of radically accelerating our business growth, realizing solar projects faster and supporting our employees with additional tools to do their work safely and efficiently".

From skepticism to breakthrough

Despite the obvious advantages, the idea of a fully automatic solar installation system initially met with skepticism in the industry. Hunter reports that the initial feedback was essential: "It will never work". However, this skepticism quickly gave way to enthusiasm when the first system was demonstrated in the field and demonstrated its functionality. Since then, the Charge Robotics team has continuously worked on improving the system to make it faster and more user -friendly.

The successful implementation in cooperation with SOLV Energy marks an important milestone for the company and shows the trust of the industry in this innovative technology. With a financing of $ 22 million for the first commercial missions, Charge Robotics laid the basis for wider market launch. The company plans to set up its factories at project locations and to operate them in partnership with solar construction companies, whereby the systems can also be used in parallel with human workers.

Future prospects and broader applications

Charge Robotics technology has the potential to go far beyond their current applications. With the progressive development of autonomous systems, additional aspects of the solar park construction could be automated. An interesting way that is already being discussed is the use of autonomous vehicles for the distribution of materials and solar modules in the field. This would further increase the degree of automation and further reduce human participation in the construction process.

In view of the ambitious goals for the global expansion of renewable energies, Charge Robotics technology could make a decisive contribution to the acceleration of the energy transition. The solar industry faces the challenge of expanding at an unprecedented pace in order to reach the climate goals and to meet the growing energy requirement. Automation technologies such as the Sunrise system could be the key to mastering this challenge.

The broader application of such technologies could also lead to a further cost reduction in solar energy. In recent decades, solar energy has already experienced a dramatic drop in prices - it becomes “cheaper, faster than any other form of energy generation in human history”, as Hunter expresses it. The automation of the installation process could continue and accelerate, which would further improve the competitiveness of solar energy compared to conventional energy sources.

Social and global effects

The effects of this technology go beyond purely technical and economic aspects. In many countries, there is a lack of sufficient workers to promote solar expansion at the required pace. Automation technologies could close this gap and make it possible to achieve ambitious expansion goals without rely on an expansion of the workforce pool. This is particularly relevant in regions with an aging population or a lack of qualified workers.

At the same time, increasing automation raises questions regarding the employment effects. On the one hand, repetitive and physically stressful activities are reduced, new jobs in surveillance, maintenance and further development of automation technologies could arise. The transformation of the world of work through technologies such as the Sunrise system may require new training programs and retraining measures to prepare employees for these new roles.

Solar energy of the future: How Sunrise makes expansion more efficient

The autonomous system “Sunrise” developed by Charge Robotics represents significant progress in solar technology and could make a decisive contribution to the acceleration of the global energy transition. By automating the labor -intensive installation process, it directly addresses one of the largest bottlenecks in the expansion of solar energy: the lack of qualified workers and the associated time and financial restrictions.

The successful implementation of the system in cooperation with SOLV Energy marks an important milestone and demonstrates the practical applicability of this innovative technology. With a financing of $ 22 million for further commercial missions, Charge Robotics is well positioned to expand its presence in the industry and to contribute to the achievement of ambitious expansion goals for renewable energies.

The challenges that the solar industry is facing are immensely. In order to achieve the goal of 850 gigawatts of solar energy by 2030, the annual expansion must be increased by seven times - a task that could hardly be managed with conventional methods. Automation technologies such as the Sunrise system could be the key to mastering this challenge and paving the way for a sustainable, solar-based energy future. The integration of such technologies could not only improve the speed and efficiency of solar expansion, but also contribute to a further reduction in costs and thus strengthen the competitiveness of solar energy. At a time when the transition to renewable energies is more urgent than ever, innovations such as those of Charge Robotics represent a hopeful path forward.

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