Mobile robotic factory could halve solar farm assembly times
24 October 2024 
Part of a huge new solar power farm being built in Spain is being constructed using a mobile robotic factory that could halve assembly times, improve safety and free up human workers to focus on other tasks. The pioneering pilot project – thought to be the first of its type in the world – is assembling 3MW of solar capacity at a 122MW farm at Peñaflor, near Valladolid in northern Spain.
The mobile factory, called Hyperflex, consists of an automated assembly station where the photovoltaic structures are pre-assembled, and a rover vehicle that transports them to their final positions. The process has three main phases: unloading the assemblies from a truck; construction; and disassembly for the next mission.
The plant is being built by the renewables giant EDP which is hoping to improve the efficiency of solar park construction, accelerate projects, and cut solar panel assembly times by up to 50%. EDP already operates solar plants with an installed capacity of more than 4GW.
The project, called AutoPV, grew out of a study of automation technologies for constructing solar farms that EDP started in 2022. After several phases of analysis, the practical implementation began at the Spanish site in July. This is the first time that a system based on robotics and advanced computing has been tested in real installation conditions at an EDP solar park.
The automated assembly system has been supplied by the Italian automation and robotics specialist, Comau. It uses robots to perform the heaviest tasks, such as handling structures and solar panels, allowing personnel to focus on higher-value tasks that need greater specialisation. The automate system was transported in trucks to the solar farm, where it was assembled on site.
“The pilot in Peñaflor is just the first step in introducing automation solutions into EDP’s solar business plan,” says António Coutinho, CEO of EDP Innovation. “EDP’s goal is to transform this into a global and integrated process, capable of generating competitive advantages for all the company’s operations and enhancing our human capital for more qualified activities. By investing in a solution as innovative as this, we are helping to make the construction of solar parks faster, more efficient, safer and more sustainable.”
EDP: LinkedIn
