Green jobs for robots are becoming an important factor in pushing sustainable new technologies into commercialization, and a couple of recent developments underscore the key role our mechano-minded friends are playing. First, emerging solar giant Dow Corning Corp. has just announced an alliance with robot master Reis Robotics to promote a silicone-based encapsulating technology for solar cells that is expected to lower the cost of solar energy through a more efficient production process.
Second, just last month the National Renewable Energy Laboratory featured robots that operate a solar energy test site, where companies can use the latest technology to asses, develop and refine their solar cells. The public-private aspect of the endeavor mirrors the new federally-funded kinetic hydropower test facility embedded in Tulane University, which aims to create new green jobs by providing a platform for private companies to develop sustainable technologies.