How robots can run solar farms is the subject of a project at the University of York.

It has submitted a planning application to City of York Council to install panels on the roof of its new York Institute for Safe Autonomy and near the side of the building in a £1.5m project.

The university says the £45m institute is the UK’s first research centre dedicated to the design, development, safety and communications for robotics and connected autonomous systems.

“From driverless cars and remotely monitored ships, to assistive robots at work, in the home and in hospitals. The role of the Institute is to ensure that robotics, their software and communications are safe.”

The university is seeking planning approval for a pilot site at the institute building on Lakeside Way to the south east of its Eastern Campus. Some 476 ground mounted panels would be outside the institute on 4,552m2 of cleared land, with 12 panels on its roof. If approved, about 200kwh of power would be generated, helping the university in its carbon reduction ambitions.

The site would be landscaped to soften the impact of the panels, whilst not affecting their performance. A variety of solar panel technologies would be used, which would be swapped to accommodate new panel technologies as they appeared, though the array would have an operation lifespan of 25 years.

Paul Bushnell - Interim Director of Estates Operations- said in the application: “The proposed array will provide sufficient power to make the Institute self-sufficient for day-to-day electrical needs and provide additional research capabilities to explore the use of Robotic and Connected Autonomous Systems (RCAS) in the inspection and maintenance of solar farms.”

The panels will be funded by a government grant for £1.52m to supply power to the building, and “Secondly to extend the capabilities of the Institute by providing a ‘living-lab’ for the development and testing of robotic and autonomous systems for the inspection and maintenance of solar panels.”

A variety of air and ground-based types of robots will be used, whose role will be assessed to see how solar panels can be managed in difficult areas, such as the roofs of buildings.

The studies will also see how other things can be managed autonomously, such as operating doors and lifts.

“There are also plans to extend this 'living lab' concept to the wider University of York Campus, using the semi-controlled characteristics of the campus to test the safe deployment of air, land and water based autonomous systems, “ Mr Bushnell continued.

He added: “The proposed project will also inform the University of York's development of sustainable infrastructure through the development of the first 'green' or 'smart' building on campus.”