US utility invests in Australian prefab PV system manufacturer

US utility AES has made a strategic US$8.6 million (AU$12 million) investment in Sydney-based 5B, in a show of confidence in the company’s prefabricated, redeployable solar technology.
The funds will help the startup to scale up its operations. It has already been tapped to build the world’s largest solar farm near Tennant Creek in Australia’s Northern Territory.
Maverick is the name of 5B’s modular PV systems, which come preassembled onto concrete blocks that replace conventional mounting structures. A single Maverick is a ground-mounted DC solar array block of 32 or 40 PV modules, which can be made with any standard framed 60 or 72-cell PV module.
Prebuilt Mavericks can be folded up, packed onto trucks for transport, unfolded, and then connected to a home or business in less than a day. “These significant advantages will help us meet our customers growing needs in today’s ever-changing environment,” said Andrés Gluski, president and CEO of AES.