Interview with Maximo’s Nick Hegeman: 180,000 robotic installations of solar panels and

While much of the current discussion around physical AI focuses on technologies still moving from prototype to commercial deployment, AES has already put robots to work on utility-scale solar construction sites. The global energy company developed Maximo, an AI-powered robotic system designed to automate.

Rather than operating in the predictable environment of a factory, Maximo works alongside construction crews on active sites, where terrain, weather, equipment and working conditions can change constantly. According to AES, robots using Maximo have exceeded 500 installations per day, while crews using the.

What Happened

Maximo was developed through AES Next, the company’s innovation and business-building platform. The project gave its developers an unusual advantage for a robotics venture: access to AES’s own pipeline of live solar construction projects, allowing the technology to be tested and refined.

• The system has now installed more than 180,000 solar modules representing more than 100 MW of generating capacity.

• At the Bellefield project, Maximo helped crews install 180,000 individual modules, with each one weighing up to 75 pounds.

• R&AN: Your robots have now completed more than 180,000 solar panel installations and surpassed 100 MW of autonomous deployment.

Key Details

Nick Hegeman, chief commercial officer for Maximo, is responsible for helping take that technology from internal development and field validation toward broader commercial adoption. In this Q&A with Robotics & Automation News, Hegeman discusses the technical challenges of deploying autonomous systems on.

• In December 2025 and January 2026, we reached an installation pace of 20MW a month.

• Customers don’t choose robotics for a single reason anymore, speed-to-power, labor availability, and panel weight have all converged into one problem, and right now, speed-to-power is the concern sitting on top of everything else.

• Our track record of successfully installing hundreds of thousands of modules is what takes robotics from something that’s just another thing PM’s must worry about to something that’s making their lives easier.

Why It Matters

He also explains why integration with existing construction processes has been central to Maximo’s development, how customers’ attitudes toward robotics have changed as deployments have scaled, and where AES sees the next opportunities for automation across renewable energy construction and site logistics..

• These projects are already running so tight that most EPC’s can’t afford to take a risk on something that’s unproven.

• What’s really accelerated customer adoption for Maximo is the ease of integration and reliable performance.

What Reports Say

Coverage of the story so far points to:

• Continued reporting by Robotics & Automation News as more details emerge