Solar Robot 2.0 Unveiled
Earlier this week, at Intersolar North America, QBotix unveiled an updated version of its unique Robotic Tracking System (RTS) for commercial- and utility-scale solar power plants, the SolBot R-225. The SolBot R-255 is a robot that moves along a track and stops at each solar panel to adjust its angle more towards, increasing its power output.
Image Credit: QBotix
“The SolBot R-225 can manage 340 kilowatts of solar panels, a 13 percent improvement over the SolBot R-200,” QBotix wrote in the news release. “The SolBot R-225 is also smaller, lighter and requires fewer components than its predecessor. Additionally, the tracking rail for the SolBot R-225 consists of two preassembled pieces rather than multiple parts so it can be quickly snapped together on site.”
“By reducing the number of moving parts in the SolBot, we have been able to boost the performance of the SolBot by a number of measures, which in turn will improve the performance of solar power plants. This is really a situation where less is more,” said Wasiq Bokhari, CEO and founder of QBotix.
Image Credit: QBotix
Solar Robot Brings Down Solar’s LCOE
All in all, the technology greatly cuts back on the cost of solar power plants relative to their output. “An RTS-based power plant will generate up to 40 percent more electricity than a plant built with fixed-mount systems while lowering the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) by up to 20 percent per kilowatt hour,” the news release adds.
QBotix unveiled its first solar robot in 2012. In the first five months of 2013, 5 solar power plants in California, Arizona, and Japan have implemented the technology for commercial purposes.
To read more about its new offering, how this technology cuts down on balance of systems expenses for solar power plants, and QBotix itself, check out the full QBotix news release.
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Zach is the director of CleanTechnica, the most popular cleantech-focused website in the world, and Planetsave, a world-leading green and science news site. He has been covering green news of various sorts since 2008, and he has been especially focused on solar energy, electric vehicles, and wind energy since 2009. Aside from his work on CleanTechnica and Planetsave, he's the founder and director of Solar Love, EV Obsession, and Bikocity. To connect with Zach on some of your favorite social networks, go to ZacharyShahan.com and click on the relevant buttons.
