Xpanner today releases its X1 Panel Lift, an intelligent, excavator-based solar panel installation. The platform, previously deployed on pile drivers for solar piling applications, has now been expanded to automate panel lifting and placement as well.
The X1 Panel Lift is designed to take on repetitive material handling on utility-scale projects, allowing installation crews to spend their time on the higher-value work of aligning, fastening and quality-checking each panel.
“Solar installation has long been held back by its dependence on large skilled crews and complex equipment setups,” said Henri Lee, co-founder & CEO of Xpanner. “Our solution changes that equation entirely, and now handles not just solar piling, but panel lifting as well. One machine, one button, one workflow, any operator can run it from day one.”
The X1 Panel Lift transports the PV panel box, picks panels directly from it and installs them using a single excavator, without the need for separate feeder equipment such as a compact track loader or forklift. By combining panel transport, pick and placement into one machine, X1 reduces the number of pieces of equipment and specialized roles a project needs to keep an installation crew productive. Its one-button automated workflow guides the operator through the full installation sequence, pick-up, lifting, placement and pre-release, through an intuitive visual interface that requires no specialized training, helping contractors staff and scale crews more easily in a tight labor market.
X1 automates repetitive panel handling while keeping the operator in full control through a simple remote interface. Rather than replacing the installer, the system assists the crew with automated vacuum handling and assisted panel positioning, while built-in Precision Align Assist helps ensure consistent, uniform panel placement across every cycle. Sensor-controlled handling is designed to maintain the same precision and pace from the first panel to the last, and a standardized installation sequence with audible and visual cues helps crews follow a repeatable process on every job.
The X1 is powered by Mango, Xpanner’s proprietary automation controller built for real-time decision-making and precision control across hydraulic, electric and mechanical systems. The system fuses data from LIDAR, vision and GNSS sensors to build a live 3D model of the jobsite, giving it the situational awareness needed to hold consistent output across variable field conditions. Because the platform’s automation software and sensing stack sit on top of a standard excavator, Xpanner intends to extend the same architecture to additional jobsite workflows over time, delivering new capabilities to existing customers through software updates rather than new equipment purchases.
Xpanner offers the X1 Panel Lift under a single, all-inclusive subscription that covers hardware, the X1 kit and license, Xpanner Connect software and on-site field operations support. There is no upfront capital investment required and no vendor juggling. The subscription includes Xpanner Connect, a real-time dashboard that gives project managers live visibility into machine status, production progress, and fleet activity. The Xpanner Field Operations (XFO) team provides hands-on support at every stage, from demo and site validation through project scope and setup, training and operation, maintenance and subscription end.
