AES Corporation has deployed an AI-powered robot named Maximo to assist in the installation of Amazon's largest solar farm in Kern County, California. The robot can lift and precisely place solar panels into rows, working twice as fast as human installers at half the cost.

Chris Shelton, AES' chief product officer, emphasized the focus on speed, both for customer projects and the broader energy transition. Maximo has already installed about 10 megawatts of solar capacity across projects in multiple states. The Amazon solar farm is expected to have 200 times that capacity.

The deployment of Maximo comes as the solar industry faces potential workforce shortages amid rapidly rising demand, particularly with new government incentives for renewable energy. The Biden administration has estimated the solar workforce needs to at least double to 500,000 workers by 2035 to meet clean electricity goals.

While automation raises concerns about job displacement, AES maintains that Maximo is not replacing human workers but rather taking on physically demanding tasks to improve safety and expand the potential workforce. The company sees potential for the robot to help clear a significant backlog of solar projects over the next few years, with data center operators expected to be major customers.

The successful implementation of AI and robotics in solar farm construction could have significant implications for the speed and scale of renewable energy deployment. However, it also highlights the need to consider workforce impacts and ensure a just transition as the energy sector evolves.