A new paradigm in solar blade deployment
As one of the cleanest and most abundant renewable energy sources in the world, solar power is increasingly used to provide thermal and electrical energy for homes, businesses, institutions, hospitals and more. Meeting the world’s net zero emission targets implies a 20x growth of the global photovoltaic capacity by 2050, with the USA, the southern European hemisphere, Chile and Arab countries representing about 60% of the global market for large-scale solar plants.1
Cost-effectively harvesting the sun’s power, therefore, is of paramount importance. With solar panel costs beginning to flatten, the next reduction naturally comes from the installation process.
Comau is helping meet this challenge by speeding the on-site construction and installation of solar panels and solar blades, which in turn can lower overall operating costs. In fact, at the 2022 World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion (WCPEC-8), one of the industry’s most important events in the photovoltaic segment, Comau’s automated solar farm construction solution was awarded by the Scientific Committee for its innovative contribution.
¹Source: S&P Global Commodity Insights, formerly IHS Markit
Sustainable energy procurement just got easier
Comau’s patented Hyperflex system facilitates faster, better quality photovoltaic plant construction, helping speed time-to-market by up to 25% for new installations. And because the robotized temporary factory fully assembles the tracker components directly in the PV field, Hyperflex grants better operator well-being, process quality and overall productivity. As a result, Hyperflex can play a decisive role in helping achieve Europe’s renewable penetration goals, while improving operator working conditions.
Benefits
- Automated on-site manufacturing and installation of PV solar trackers
- Significant time and cost savings compared to standard manual processes
- Up to 25% faster time-to-market for new PV plants
- Up to 35% savings on the price per panel
- Up to 30% more modules per hour per operator
A powerful on-site solar farm construction solution
Committed to improving the photovoltaic value chain at a plant level, Comau has defined a new paradigm in the on-site construction and deployment of solar blades.
We’ve collapsed the traditional process into a highly-efficient, on-site procedure that manufactures the torque tube, transversal beam and PV module in a single, robotized production station. And because the solution supports centralized control of the entire process while creating a new, KM 0 logistics flow directly in the field, it saves time, costs and overall energy consumption.
Inside the Hyperflex mobile factory
Housed inside a semi-trailer that can be easily shipped from one solar plant to another, Comau’s Hyperflex automated production cell improves productivity and efficiency when expanding an existing plant or installing a new one. Inside the Hyperflex mobile factory, the solar blades are pre-assembled before being shipped to their installation location and installed using patented lifting equipment. Hyperflex is thus able to handle the entire solar blade, which can measure up to 48m2, and accurately position it on the plant’s structural poles. Furthermore, Hyperflex’s flexible design can accommodate different types of trackers and panels, allowing it to easily adapt to the specific needs of different energy providers.
What makes Hyperflex truly unique is its optimization of both the automated and manual processes. The assembly riveting and tightening of bolts, for example, is performed by human operators who work alongside the robot in complete safety thanks to advanced laser scanning techniques. The solution also improves the working conditions and safety of the operators, allowing them to work better while playing a fundamental role in quality control and process management.