Heliogen completes field tests of CSP installation, cleaning robot

Heliogen, a California-based developer of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled concentrated solar power (CSP) technology, successfully completed the first technical demonstration of a robot solution for the installation and maintenance of CSP systems.

The Installation & Cleaning Autonomous Robot & Utility Solution (ICARUS) is expected to significantly cut installation times and the costs related to a plant’s construction and ongoing maintenance, Heliogen said on Friday. It anticipates to deploy the technology across all of its full-scale facilities by 2023.

ICARUS’ field tests were carried out at the US company’s facility in Lancaster, California. The completely autonomous system can operate on a predetermined schedule, using GPS, ultrasonic rangefinders and light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors. It is designed to deliver heliostats from an assembly or inventory location to the field and then install them. The robot can also clean and maintain the CSP system’s operations and collect performance data, thus enabling operational and cost efficiencies.

ICARUS can operate in both structured and unstructured environments.

“This first technical demonstration of ICARUS is a leap forward in realizing Heliogen’s mission to replace fossil fuels with concentrated sunlight – cost-effectively and at scale,” said Bill Gross, founder and CEO of Heliogen.

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