Large-scale assembly of solar power plants with parallel cable robots

Abstract:
Nowadays there are very little robot systems in operation in the field of large-scale assembly mostly due to lack of repetitive processes or shortcomings in programming and configuring such robots. It is foreseen that the construction, assembly, and operation of large-scale solar power plants will be an important challenge to achieve a sustainable energy supply for Europe. In this paper we propose a robot concept that allows to automate the final assembly of solar power plants on-site. The system is based on a cable-driven parallel robot which can outperform industrial robots by more than one order of magnitude in terms of workspace and payload. Thus, it allows for on-site automatic installation of solar panels.