Robots on solar sites are not new; they have been deployed to automate everything from operations and maintenance to inspection and cleaning. In recent months, there has been an uptick in interest in robots for installation, particularly among utility-scale solar developers dealing with staff shortages, safety concerns, rising costs, and pressure to build.

Pairing solar plants with battery energy storage systems will be the main strategic focus for the Philippines’ upcoming renewable energy auction. Each project must have a minimum storage duration of four hours to ensure sufficient grid support and energy reliability.

Just a few months after beginning construction on a cell manufacturing factory in Egypt, Singapore’s EliTe Solar has opened a cell manufacturing facility in Indonesia, which took around eight months to complete from site selection to opening.

The Philippines’ Department of Energy has said that energy storage and maximising the country’s existing renewable energy infrastructure will be a major theme for its next green energy auction. GEA-4 will take place in the final quarter of 2024.