NYT:
Demand for solar power is expected to grow astronomically over the next decade thanks to the plummeting costs of panels, hundreds of billions of dollars in federal subsidies and growing interest from tech companies in securing carbon-free electricity for their data centers. By some estimates, the country will need 475,000 solar workers by 2033, nearly double today’s number. Yet 44 percent of solar companies already say it is “very difficult” to find qualified workers, according to one recent survey.
It can be especially hard to recruit construction workers for large solar arrays, which are often located in remote desert areas. The job involves lifting and installing hundreds of panels per day, each one weighing 60 pounds or more, in places where temperatures can reach in excess of 110 degrees Fahrenheit, or about 43 Celsius.
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After months of testing, AES will put Maximo to work in the California desert later this year to help install panels at the largest solar-plus-battery project under construction, meant to help power Amazon data centers. If all goes well, the company aims to build hundreds of similar A.I.-powered robots.