QBotix today announced the QBotix Tracking System (QTS), a dual-axis tracking system that employs rugged, intelligent and mobile robots to dynamically operate solar power plants and maximize energy output. QBotix will exhibit at Solar Power International 2012.
According to the company, QTS increases the energy production of ground-mounted solar power plants by up to 40% over existing fixed mount systems and lowers the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) by up to 20%. QTS is compatible with all solar panels and mounting foundations.
QTS utilizes a pair of autonomous robots, one primary and one back-up, to control 300kW of solar panels with high accuracy and reliability. The solar panels are installed on QBotix designed mounting systems that don’t have any individual motors. The company says they are optimized for cost, strength, durability and installation simplicity.
The robots travel on a track and adjust each mounting system to optimally face the sun in succession. Each robot replaces hundreds of individual motors and controllers found on conventional tracking systems. The embedded intelligence and data communication capabilities of each autonomous robot optimize power plant performance and enables detailed operational knowledge at an unprecedented level.
QTS is now available for commercial deployments.
Siemens recently announced that it has successfully finished its year-long qualification of QTS for deployment. The company deployed its first grid-connected system in October 2011, and has successfully demonstrated the ability to track both flat-plate and concentrating solar panels with high accuracy and reliability.