Nick Hegeman, commercial director at Maximo, said AES's robotic system has already installed more than 180,000 solar modules at photovoltaic plant sites in the United States, surpassing 100 MW of capacity.
In an interview, Hegeman detailed that Maximo robots surpassed 500 installations per day and that teams using the technology can install up to 24 modules per person per shift hour. In December 2025 and January 2026, the installation rate reached 20 MW per month.
Performance and adoption
The executive said the installation speed is more than double the industry average and that the technology can reduce utility project schedules by up to two months. According to him, labor shortages, module weight, and delivery speed converged, with speed as the main concern.
Two of the five largest EPCs in the United States visited the system in operation and accelerated their evaluation processes. According to Hegeman, the ease of integration with existing workflows and reliable performance were decisive for clients to stop treating the solution as experimental. He said clients began relying on Maximo to meet deadlines.
Development and safety
Maximo was incubated at AES Next, AES's innovation platform, conceived in Virginia and built in Pittsburgh. The technology was tested in the company's actual construction sites, and Hegeman highlighted that the system needed to operate in extreme conditions, such as intense heat and uneven terrain, without requiring changes to contractors' processes. The intention was for Maximo to fit into existing workflows without altering the supply chain.
Regarding safety, the executive said teams undergo training and checks before operation. During work, Maximo uses real-time perception to identify people or obstacles and correct itself automatically.
Next steps
Hegeman said material handling and site logistics are the next areas with potential for large-scale automation. In his view, the technology for this type of automation is close to being viable at utility scale. The company also monitors module and tracker manufacturers that are already adapting designs for automated installation.
