Vermeer expands solar fleet with "Auto-Plumb+" PD10R remote-control pile driver featuring integrated Pile-Top Camera. Oct 01, 2026. Vermeer Corporation has expanded its solar pile driver lineup with the "Auto-Plumb+" enhanced PD10R, a remotely operated pile driving machine purpose-built for utility-scale photovoltaic foundation installation. Utility-scale solar projects routinely require the installation of tens of thousands of ground screws or driven piles across hundreds of hectares, with pile positions specified to within 10 millimeters lateral tolerance and 1 degree vertical tolerance. Traditional pile driving crews rely on a two-person team-one operator and one ground spotter who visually verifies the pile's verticality and alignment before each strike. At 200 to 400 piles installed per day, the spotter's repetitive visual inspection becomes a bottleneck and a safety concern given proximity to the driving hammer. The Auto-Plumb+ PD10R eliminates the spotter role through dual automation. First, the "Dual-Tilt Mast Automation" system uses high-resolution inclinometers at both the mast base and the pile clamp. With a single button press, the mast autonomously adjusts to true plumb relative to the ground surface, correcting for chassis pitch and roll on uneven solar farm terrain. Second, the system integrates a "360-Degree Pile-Top Camera Array" mounted at the mast head, providing the remote operator with real-time video of the pile's top surface. The camera's integrated laser-telegraph overlay projects the pile's actual verticality onto the operator's remote display, showing both the pitch and lean angle in degrees. The engineering innovation is the "Pre-Strike Verification Lockout." The ECU will not initiate the hammer sequence until the mast plumb angle, pile lateral position, and hammer alignment have all been verified within tolerance by the onboard sensors and camera. If any parameter drifts out of tolerance-such as when the pile wanders laterally in soft soil during the initial strikes-the system automatically halts hammer operation and alerts the remote operator for correction. This automated verification delivers consistent sub-5-millimeter lateral and sub-1-degree vertical pile alignment across entire solar arrays, increases per-crew installation rate to 400 piles per day, and removes the spotter from the hammer's immediate danger zone.

UNGA81: Renewvia Energy and Promethean Resources to power Nigerian mining communities with clean energy. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Strategic Agreement Signed at U.S.-Nigeria Strategic Investment Dialogue Hosted by U.S. Chamber of Commerce Caption: Nigerian Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, alongside executive leadership from Renewvia Energy and Promethean Resources at the signing ceremony during the U.S.-Nigeria Strategic Investment Dialogue at UNGA81 in New York City, hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. (Photo Source / Credit: Courtesy of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment (FMITI) / Promethean Resources via Instagram) NEW YORK | September 24, 2026 - During the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81), Atlanta-based U.S. solar company Renewvia Energy Corporation announced a new strategic partnership with Promethean Resources to both develop renewable energy solutions for the Nigerian company's minerals extraction and processing operations and extend affordable, reliable electricity to surrounding host communities. Each industrial-scale solar and battery storage plant will be sized to anchor mining operations and extend power to surrounding host communities, advancing Nigeria's commitment to Mission 300, the World Bank and African Development Bank initiative to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030. Signed during the U.S.-Nigeria Strategic Investment Dialogue hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with the Nigerian Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI), Renewvia joined Vermeer Corporation and Terra Industries as key U.S. companies advancing commercial and trade agreements with Promethean Resources. "At the Nigeria-U.S. Strategic Investment Dialogue in New York, our objective was clear: moving past high-level talks to deliver concrete commercial deals that advance Nigeria's industrial agenda. A major step in this direction is the partnership between Promethean Resources and three key U.S. companies - Terra Industries, Renewvia Energy, and Vermeer Corporation," said Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, Honorable Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in an Instagram post about the agreements. "This collaboration integrates advanced machinery to develop our critical mineral reserves - iron ore, tin, lithium, and gold - with off-grid renewable power and secure operational infrastructure. It directly supports our commitment to local value addition, domestic processing, and stronger Nigeria-U.S. trade ties." Delivering reliable power to industrial and rural communities. In Nigeria, Renewvia is deploying 85,000+ off-grid connections across over 10 states, with large concentrations in the Niger Delta region, serving approximately 427,000 people in areas historically underserved and avoided by the energy sector until Renewvia's arrival. Through this new partnership, Renewvia and Promethean Resources will develop and deploy integrated renewable energy infrastructure tailored to power remote mining sites while simultaneously supporting surrounding off-grid communities. By combining solar photovoltaics and battery energy storage systems, the projects aim to replace expensive diesel generation with stable, clean power. "Mining operations in Nigeria mostly rely on costly diesel to operate, and many of the remote communities around them have no access to electricity," said Trey Jarrard, CEO of Renewvia Energy. "These industrial operations provide the constant, bankable demand required to build off-grid renewable generation and distribution where the grid doesn't reach. The same infrastructure can then deliver reliable, affordable power directly to surrounding host communities as an integral part of the system. The partnership with Promethean Resources creates a scalable path to extend clean energy access to communities that need it most." Strengthening U.S.-Nigeria commercial ties. The agreement also underscores growing bilateral commercial cooperation between the United States and Nigeria, demonstrating how private-sector partnerships can address critical infrastructure gaps while advancing climate resilience. About Renewvia Energy Corporation. For nearly two decades, Renewvia Energy Corporation has designed, installed, owned, and operated standalone solar, solar-hybrid mini-grids and mesh-grids, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and utility-scale assets across three continents and six countries. Guided by a mission to improve quality of life worldwide, Renewvia's investments primarily focus on expanding access to reliable renewable energy across sub-Saharan Africa, where nearly 600 million people live without power. In support of the World Bank Group and African Development Bank's Mission 300 initiative - which aims to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030 - Renewvia actively partners with development finance institutions, multilateral development banks, impact investors, and international agencies to deliver energy where it is needed most. To date, Renewvia has delivered more than 23,000 operating off-grid and remote connections - improving the lives and livelihoods of over 200,000 people - with an additional pipeline of over 206,000 connections. These systems power local enterprises, modernize agricultural production and cold storage, and expand clean energy access for health centers and schools, including the rollout of its first AI learning lab in the Niger Delta. To learn more, follow Renewvia on LinkedIn, visit its website, or contact [email protected]. Media Contact:

Vermeer integrates SmartTEC real-time performance monitoring and Trimble GPS steering into T1255III pipeline trencher. Sep 21, 2026. Vermeer Corporation has launched the T1255III heavy-duty pipeline trencher, incorporating the "SmartTEC" electronic control system and an optional Trimble GPS-guided steering package tailored for long-distance pipeline installation. In large-diameter pipeline trenching, the trench must be cut in a perfectly straight line across hundreds of meters of varying terrain. Traditional trenching relies on the operator visually following a surveyor's grade stake or a laser reference line. At a 2-kilometer trench length, small operator corrections accumulate into lateral drift that exceeds pipeline bend tolerance, forcing expensive re-cut of misaligned trench sections. The Trimble GPS steering integration addresses this by placing a "Dual-Antenna RTK GNSS Receiver" on the trencher's mast. The engineering breakthrough is the "Automated Line-Deviation Correction." As the T1255III travels along the designed pipeline centerline, the dual-antenna system calculates the machine's exact heading and lateral offset at 10 hertz. If the machine drifts by more than 50 millimeters from the design line, the ECU autonomously commands the steering system to correct course, maintaining a cutting overlap of 6 inches (15.2 centimeters) between passes. The system compensates for side slopes by predicting the lateral slippage inherent in tracked machines on uneven ground, preemptively steering uphill of the design line so the cutting trajectory lands precisely on target. The SmartTEC monitoring system complements this with real-time cutting parameter optimization. Strain gauges on the trencher boom measure the cutting tooth engagement load, while a boom-mounted sonic sensor monitors the spoil removal rate. If the SmartTEC system detects a tooth-load spike-indicating the chain is engaging solid rock rather than fractured material-it automatically reduces forward speed and increases boom downforce to allow the chain to fracture the rock without stalling. Conversely, in softer material, the system increases forward speed to maximize production. The SmartTEC data is logged and uploaded to the Vermeer telematics platform, allowing fleet managers to track tooth consumption and machine performance across projects. This combination of GPS steering and predictive cutting reduces trencher tooth consumption by 25% and maintains sub-10-centimeter line deviation over 2-kilometer runs, dramatically reducing survey rework and pipeline welding fit-up time. No Information