Maximo, a solar robotics company incubated by AES, has successfully installed 100 MW solar panels in the AES Bellefield project, a 1GW project under construction in Kern County, California.

Maximo President Chris Shelton said, "Reaching 100 MW is an important milestone for Maximo and robotics technology to play a role in solar energy construction. It indicates that on-site robotics technology can go beyond experimentation and provide consistent results on a utility scale. As solar energy deployment accelerates globally, technologies to improve installation speed, quality, and reliability will become increasingly important.  ”

The Bellefield project has evolved from a single robot to a coordinated fleet consisting of four Maximo robot units running in parallel. The peak device installation rate reached 474 modules per day, with Maximo's direct staff installing up to 24 modules per person per hour. Due to the optimized integration between robot placement, skilled fastening technicians, and union team members, this is 60% higher than the traditional method of 10-15 modules per hour in the region.

NVIDIA technology supports the development and preparation of the Maximo robot fleet deployed in California. With the help of NVIDIA AI infrastructure, NVIDIA Omniverse library, and NVIDIA Isaac Sim open robot simulation framework, the Maximo team is able to develop, test, and refine robot functionality through physics based simulation and AI driven modeling before deploying updates on site.

The combination of artificial intelligence, vision, robotics technology, and simulation driven engineering has shortened development and validation time, and increased confidence in on-site performance as robot fleets expand.

NVIDIA Energy Senior Director Marc Spieler said, "Physical AI is a powerful force in accelerating the construction of real-world energy infrastructure. ”By combining artificial intelligence infrastructure, simulation, and edge artificial intelligence, Maximo and other platforms demonstrate how physical artificial intelligence can help accelerate solar panel installation while maintaining high reliability in complex environments. ”

Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides support for the development, deployment, and operation of Maximo's AI driven on-site systems. AWS provides scalable computing, automated software delivery, and advanced data analytics (including real-time construction intelligence) to enable Maximo to collect operational robot data and continuously improve performance.

Innovation in carbon free energy development is crucial for meeting the world's growing energy demand, "said Amazon's Chief Sustainability Officer, Callahurst. By combining artificial intelligence and robotics technology, Maximo and other technologies demonstrate how we can accelerate the transition to carbon free energy while improving safety and efficiency. Amazon is proud to support projects that push the boundaries of sustainable infrastructure possibilities.