On Thursday, Google and Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures poured $31.8 million into Planted, a California‑based robotics firm that automates solar farm construction. The round also attracted Piva Capital, RA Capital Management Planetary Health, Khosla Ventures, Gigascale Capital, and Breakthrough Energy, bringing total capital to $31.8 million— a figure that dwarfs the firm’s previous $10 million seed round.
Planted’s core offering is Sage, a fleet of autonomous machines and a cloud‑based planning platform that can lay solar panels on uneven terrain without the need for bulldozers or grid‑like racks. “The precision required to place thousands of foundations manually is a nightmare,” said CEO Eric Brown, who highlighted the company’s 10 MW deployment last year and its goal of 100 MW by the end of 2026. The firm’s pipeline already exceeds 20 GW, according to its own projections.
The technology uses a digital twin that maps every contour of a site, then drones a robotic dispenser that places individual stakes—each acting as a post for a single panel—overnight. By avoiding the costly flattening of land, Planted can double energy density per acre and sidestep costly environmental approvals, a claim verified by a recent 28 MW installation behind a data‑center that was completed in just 60 days.
Local farmers in the San Joaquin Valley say the new approach could preserve their orchards while generating clean power. “We used to wait months for a contractor to come in; now the robots can finish the job in weeks,” said Maria Reyes, a 42‑year‑old citrus grower. Analysts predict that the shift to automated solar could cut installation costs by 30 % and reduce construction time from 12 months to 4 months.
Planted plans to roll out a pilot in Nevada’s high‑desert region next quarter, with a $50 million Series B slated for early 2027. The company’s CEO has already scheduled a meeting with the California Energy Commission to discuss permitting pathways for the new robotic system.