INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The LUMI robot is designed to automate solar panel installation without changing workflows
Source: Luminous RoboticsWhile federal funding for solar projects may be uncertain in the U.S., interest in robotics to support construction
today said it has been chosen as the first project to receive funding from the Australian government’s $100 million Solar Scaleup
Challenge.“We’ve been working on this for the past 10 months,” said Jay M
“We’ve set up an entity and a warehouse over there and can do assembly and testing
We’ve also onboarded a general manager who’s talking to local machine shops and hiring deployment technicians and engineers.”Founded
in 2023, Luminous has developed LUMI, a robot that can pick up solar panels and place them for securing onto racks
The Boston-based startup has received $4.8 million from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).Luminous directly addresses industry
challengesLUMI uses artificial intelligence and can help existing workforces to install 80 lb
(36.2 kg) solar panels up to 3.5 times faster, without any heavy lifting or workflow changes, said Luminous
This is a task that typically takes up to five people, often in high winds or hot weather.“We did market research for the first six months
after incorporation in August 2023,” recalled Wong
“People have been trying to automate solar installation for a decade, but there has been no mass adoption yet
Some companies may be better capitalized than others, but a lot has to do with focus
Solar people have been trying to build robotics companies, and robotics people have been trying to build solar companies.”“We have a
deep appreciation for the pain that the industry is trying to solve,” he told The Robot Report
“We don’t really care what the robot is
We’re not a technology company; we’re a company that solves problems.”Wong said he wrote all the code for LUMI v1, which went from a
concept to a robot in the field in 10 weeks
Luminous first tested its photovoltaic (PV) panel installer at a site in Virginia serving 1,300 customers.The startup soon moved from wheels
to a tracked iteration with a larger battery
Luminous sources robot arms and a chassis from partners and does all its assembly and testing in-house at a warehouse in Boston.“We’ve
built the most flexible solution in the industry for solar construction,” asserted Wong
“No other robot can pick up solar panels from front or back, which is an important enabler for inserting it into any construction process
The industry revolves around risk mitigation — keeping build projects on schedule without introducing a single source of massive risk
We’re not altering how you pick panels off pallets or trucks.”“We’re now on Version 4, which is in limited production,” he said
“We’ve made it nimbler and are working to make things more modular, designing for manufacturing at scale
We’re starting to ship out LUMI across the U.S
and Australia.”LUMI augments human workers in solar PV installation
Source: Luminous RoboticsLUMI to help set up Australian solar farmsLuminous said LUMI can enhance productivity and safety on Australian
While the system has already demonstrated cost reductions on solar farms in the U.S., the company said the ARENA project marks its first
global deployment of a full fleet of five mobile manipulators, which could reduce solar farm costs by up to 6.2% over their
lifetime.Luminous has partnered with Equans, a global engineering, procurement, and construction firm, to deploy LUMI at two Australian
solar farms — the 440MW Neoen Culcairn Solar Farm in New South Wales and the 250MW Engie Goorambat East Solar Farm in Victoria.“Equans
reached out to us last year and brought us in touch with ARENA,” said Wong
“We had to be sure it would be worthwhile to ship the product and have the support infrastructure
While there was a steep learning curve around regulations and other things, the Solar Scaleup Challenge was a great way to get into the
We’re flying out there this weekend.”LUMI will also collect site and installation data to further refine its design and optimize
performance for significant cost reductions in solar panel installation.“Deploying our LUMI fleet in Australia will allow us to capture
the data, performance insights, and real-world impact needed to drive global adoption—the kind of scale and transformation we founded
Luminous to achieve,” said Wong.Save now with early bird discountARENA invests in Luminous for low-cost powerThe LUMI project continues
ARENA’s support of Australian innovation in the solar PV industry
ARENA programs have provided more than $290 million to around 300 solar research and development projects since 2012.“ARENA has set an
ambitious goal to reduce the installed cost of solar to 30 cents per watt and bring the levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) below $20 per
megawatt hour,” stated Daren Miller, CEO of ARENA
“These are important targets, because at this cost solar will form the foundation for Australia’s renewable energy ‘superpower’
future.” “To achieve net zero, Australia will need immense amounts of solar power at ultra-low cost,” he added
“We’ve already proven our ability to manufacture advanced technologies
It’s now time to apply that capability to solar PV, a cornerstone of the nation’s clean energy future.”“Collaboration with companies
like Luminous is key to reducing costs and maintaining Australia’s leading role in the development and innovation of solar
“We are aiming to bring together leaders across Australia and the world to tackle the challenges presented in our quest for even cheaper
renewable energy through this critical technology.”LUMI can safely and efficiently pick up solar panels from pallets for placement on
Source: Luminous RoboticsMassachusetts provides climate for innovationLuminous is a member of MassRobotics and was recently named a
finalist in the 2025 Eddie awards, which recognize innovators in Massachusetts.“We’ve had a lot of support from the local ecosystem and
the state, including from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center,” said Wong
“I learned from Southie Autonomy to be cost-efficient
We’ve been onboarding two to three people nearly every week, and we have about 12 FTEs [full-time equivalents] and five contractors.”How
is Luminous navigating changes in U.S
funding for renewable energy?“The TAM [total addressable market] for ‘super human’ manual work is massive, at $15 trillion, and
outside the capacity of immediate human scope,” said Wong
“The federal budget will affect tax credits for construction, which will hit residential markets hardest
It’s driving a frenzy to start construction immediately, particularly on the utility side.”“But solar is still the lowest cost of
energy by any source, and as AI data centers demand immediate generation for energy-intensive infrastructures, solar is still the quickest
“I’m still bullish on the industry in the U.S., and even more so globally.”The post Luminous gets funding to bring LUMI solar
construction robot to Australia appeared first on The Robot Report.
