A Robot to Tilt Solar Panels

 Bokhari explained. While one robot is circulating around the track, a second robot is charging at a docking station. 

The company says that its product increases energy production by eight to 15 percent compared to a single-axis tracker but at the same installed price. The system can be installed to tilt 200 panels or be scaled up for larger solar farms. 

The price of solar panels has dropped dramatically over the past three years, with the cost having dropped about 50 percent in the last year. But other equipment, such as wiring and inverters, and the installation represent about half the cost of solar power. QBotix and other innovative companies in solar financing are seeking to lower the price of solar by attacking these "balance of system" costs. The mounting, foundation, and single-axis trackers represent 21 percent of the solar cost for utility-scale systems, compared to 34 percent for panels themselves, according to QBotix.

The QBotix tracking system was designed using off-the-shelf components and can be made in the U.S. The company, which is selling to solar project developers, said its first commercial installation will begin operating at the end of September.

Siemens Technology-to-Business, a division of the Germany-based industrial giant, has spent nearly the last year qualifying the QBotix Tracking System for solar panels and concentrating photovoltaic arrays.

solar, robotics, Balance of System, QBotix

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