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Planted Raises $31.8M in Funding to Expand Robotic Solar Deployment
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Planted, a California-based solar construction robotics company, has raised $31.8 million to expand its autonomous robot fleet and launch Sage, a next-generation system for building solar projects. The round was co-led by Piva Capital and RA Capital Management Planetary Health, with participation from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Gigascale Capital, Google, and Khosla Ventures. Planted says Sage is expected to enter the field in late 2026 and deliver more than twice the field productivity of its existing robots.
The funding comes as global solar deployment faces constraints. CEO Eric Brown said solar must be deployed about five times faster than today to meet projected 2050 scale, and the gap is widening because of supply chains, land, interconnection, and skilled labor. He argued the solution is to turn power-plant construction into a manufacturing problem by building robots and deployment systems, not just projects. Planted says its robots are already proving the model in the field.
Planted combines planning software, high-density terrain-following arrays, energy storage, and field robotics. Its system can be installed on slopes up to 27% without grading and can produce twice as much energy per acre as conventional tracker systems, according to the company. The company serves solar developers, independent power producers, data center operators, and other large energy buyers.
The new capital will support fleet expansion, deployment capacity, and hiring across robotics, hardware, commercial operations, and field teams. Planted said demand exceeds its current availability, and its existing fleet is fully committed through 2027. New Sage units are intended to add capacity as they are manufactured. Customers can reserve future deployment capacity by deposit, with 2028 reservations now open.
Planted has been scaling its project portfolio. It deployed more than 10 megawatts in 2025 and says it is on track to deploy 100 megawatts in 2026. Its project pipeline exceeds 20 gigawatts. Recent work includes a 28-megawatt behind-the-meter installation for a neocloud data center, which went from initial discussions to power delivery in 10 months, with field construction completed in less than three months.
The company also completed the 11-megawatt Bowes Solar project in Illinois for Cultivate Power. Its next project for Aligned Climate Capital, Armoracia, is planned for 16 acres after Planted redesigned the layout. Beginning in 2027, Planted plans to offer powered land, or sites paired with their own generation and energy storage. Earlier commitments receive priority for additional 2027 capacity as new robots enter service.
The round highlights growing investor interest in robotics as a way to accelerate clean-energy infrastructure. With Sage slated for late 2026 and reservations already open for 2028, Planted is betting that manufacturing robots can help overcome labor and land limits. If successful, the approach could change how solar power plants are built at gigawatt scale.
