Xpanner, a US-based construction automation company, today announced the release of its X1 Panel Lift, an intelligent, excavator-based panel installation system engineered to address one of the solar industry’s most persistent constraints: the availability of skilled installation labor at scale. The platform, previously deployed on pile drivers for solar piling applications, has now been expanded to automate panel lifting and placement as well.
Utility-scale solar projects depend on large crews to manually carry, position, and place heavy panels across thousands of module locations. Such work is physically demanding, slows down as crews fatigue, and requires ongoing training to keep pace with project timelines. The X1 Panel Lift is designed to take on this repetitive material handling directly, allowing installation crews to spend their time on the higher-value work of aligning, fastening, and quality-checking each panel.
The system operates via a single excavator, eliminating the need for separate feeder equipment such as a compact track loader or forklift. By combining panel transport, pick, and placement into one machine, X1 reduces the number of pieces of equipment and specialized roles a project needs to keep an installation crew productive. Its one-button automated workflow guides the operator through the full installation sequence, pick-up, lifting, placement, and pre-release, through an intuitive visual interface that requires no specialized training, helping contractors staff and scale crews more easily in a tight labor market.
The X1 is powered by Mango, Xpanner’s proprietary automation controller built for real-time decision-making and precision control across hydraulic, electric, and mechanical systems. The system fuses data from LIDAR, vision, and GNSS sensors to build a live 3D model of the jobsite, giving it the situational awareness needed to hold consistent output across variable field conditions. Because the platform’s automation software and sensing stack sit on top of a standard excavator, Xpanner intends to extend the same architecture to additional jobsite workflows over time, delivering new capabilities to existing customers through software updates rather than new equipment purchases.
Rather than requiring a heavy upfront capital expenditure, Xpanner is offering the X1 Panel Lift under a single, all-inclusive subscription that covers hardware, the X1 kit and license, Xpanner Connect software, and on-site field operations support. The subscription includes Xpanner Connect, a real-time dashboard that gives project managers live visibility into machine status, production progress, and fleet activity. The Xpanner Field Operations team provides hands-on support at every stage, from demo and site validation through project scope and setup, training and operation, maintenance, and subscription end.
By shifting physical material handling from workers to the machine, X1 is designed to reduce manual lifting and the associated strain and injury risk for installation crews. The system’s remote operation keeps personnel clear of the load path during lifts, and its standardized, sensor-guided sequence is intended to make each installation cycle more predictable and controlled. Solar contractors and project developers interested in a site demonstration or subscription inquiry can visit the company’s website, their booth at BuiltWorld’s 2026 Construction Tech Conference, or their new demo yard in Aledo, Texas.
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