Australian solar technology innovator 5B has initiated construction of its Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Line (AMPL), which will manufacture its Maverick solar technology, a pre-fabricated and pre-configured solar panel and racking solution. 5B’s Maverick solar arrays can be rapidly and easily deployed at solar energy projects and are also referred as a “solar farm in a box.”
The $33.4 million project aims to quicken the delivery of 5B’s Maverick solar arrays. Once functional, the AMPL will have the ability to produce a 50-70kW solar array every 30 minutes with minimal human involvement.
In February, 5B announced it has been appointed as the solar technology provider for a 16MWp solar system forming part of a 95MW hybrid power station that Zenith Energy is building for Liontown Resources’ Kathleen Valley Lithium Project. The power is expected to become the largest off-grid renewable energy hybrid power station in Australia.
The firm has garnered considerable recognition, receiving investment backing from former Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull, climate activist Simon Holmes à Court, and global oil and supermajor BP. It has also received a $14 million grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).
The company considers the start of the AMPL as an “epic moment” and wrote: “Hopefully, 50 years from now, this moment will be logged alongside Henry Ford’s mass manufacturing of cars, or Apple’s iPhone for standardizing, simplifying, accelerating, and packing more value into the system itself.”
In addition, 5B is developing a field robotic system called GPS Guided Deployment (GGD) to automate the deployment process of the 5B Maverick.
Source: SOLARQUOTES BLOG
Image Source: 5B