Create Energy announced on Thursday that it had acquired the key assets of Graze, Inc., a developer of autonomous commercial mowing equipment previously focused on the solar and landscaping industries.
The company says it aims to incorporate autonomous robotics technology into its broader “ON TRACK” ecosystem of solar asset management tools, integrating electrical balance of system equipment (EBOS), battery storage, trackers, inverters and autonomous vegetation management into its Plant Wide Controller (PWC) network.
Dean Solon, founder and CEO of Create Energy, described the strategic move into the robotics sector as “a massive leap forward” for the company. “We’re building the undisputed best robotics platform for the energy sector,” Solon said, adding that the acquisition is “another addition to my un-evil empire!”
Solon has said he wants Create Energy to make building solar energy projects as easy as ordering from a McDonald’s menu board, allowing his customers to merge options from a standardized menu of pre-integrated components into systems that require a minimal amount of technical labor to deploy in the field.
In a joint statement to pv magazine USA, Solon and Create Energy Chief of Staff Joe Fahrney wrote “This acquisition strengthens our ability to simplify and accelerate energy infrastructure projects for developers, IPPs, EPCs, and data centers with smarter automation, lower operational risk, and measurable performance gains. We’re building the strongest, most complete robotics and controls platform in the energy sector—and this is only the beginning.”
Graze’s history of financial struggle
The acquisition follows a tumultuous period for Graze, Inc., which ceased operations in 2025.
The company had previously raised approximately $9.2 million from retail investors in a Regulation A+ offering that closed in June 2021, followed by a $15 million Series A round in April 2022.
Although it had successfully tested its technology in at least one pilot project at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport, SEC filings show that Graze reported net losses of $7.6 million in 2022 and $3.6 million in 2023, and an independent auditor found that the company had recorded no revenues through the end of 2023.
In June 2025, following a board reorganization and the resignation of its CEO, the Graze board of directors executed an Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors (ABC) — an alternative to Chapter 7 bankruptcy that results in liquidation of a company’s assets.
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