Utility-scale PV Cost Reduction by Automated Panel Installation System

With solar power being seen as of national strategic importance, the U.S. DOE established the SunShot Initiative which is driving an aggressive goal of $1/Wp installed price from the current cost of $2.34/Wp for large (utility) scale PV installations. As PV module prices have dropped precipitously due to global oversupply, Balance of System (BOS) or non-module costs such as installation labor, structural materials, and site preparation have come down much slower to the point that they now make up a majority of the overall installation expense. A typical 10 MW-DC plant will require 30,000 – 40,000 modules on 12.5 - 17.0 km of racking, currently each step of the installation process is carried out by hand, being both time consuming and labor intensive. To specifically address this problem, Brittmore Group seeks to dramatically reduce BOS costs through the introduction of automation and robotics into the repetitive steps of the large scale PV installation process. Brittmore’s System consists of three components: the Panel Assembly Cell (PAC), a mobile factory where individual modules are preassembled and wired into larger panels, the WaveRack ground mount, a simplified fixed tilt ground mount support system that doubles as an above ground transport track for panel installation, and the PV Autoloader/Shuttle, an automated system that takes preassembled panels from a centralized logistics area and installs them at megawatts per day rates. The Brittmore System can dramatically reduce labor, heavy equipment, and overhead costs as well as dramatically reduce construction times. Under SBIR Phase I, Brittmore Group developed the PV Autoloader to supplement the prototype PAC, WaveRack and PV Shuttle sub-systems. Under SBIR Phase II, The Company seeks to fully productize the Brittmore System by taking all three components from Alpha to full production.