China leads global exports of solar O&M automation — robotic cleaners, drone thermal fleets and cloud analytics. Utility O&M spend has dropped from $8.50/kW/yr (2020) to $3.20/kW/yr (2026) with these tools.
Robotic cleaner CIF
$1,180
per string, autonomous
Drone thermal service
$0.20/module
per inspection
Cloud SCADA
$0.85/kW/yr
Huawei/Sungrow
Top O&M vendors
- Skyline Robotics (cleaning)
- Sungrow iSolar Platform (SCADA)
- Above Surveying China (drone O&M as a service)
Frequently asked questions
QRobotic cleaning worth it?
For desert projects (Saudi, UAE, Chile) — yes, 15-24 month payback. Temperate climates — probably not.
Source with confidence
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