The LUMI robotic is designed to automate photo voltaic panel set up with out altering workflows. Supply: Luminous Robotics
Whereas federal funding for photo voltaic initiatives could also be unsure within the U.S., curiosity in robotics to help development is rising worldwide. Luminous Robotics Inc. immediately mentioned it has been chosen as the primary venture to obtain funding from the Australian authorities’s $100 million Photo voltaic Scaleup Problem.
“We’ve been engaged on this for the previous 10 months,” mentioned Jay M. Wong, CEO of Luminous. “We’ve arrange an entity and a warehouse over there and may do meeting and testing. We’ve additionally onboarded a basic supervisor who’s speaking to native machine outlets and hiring deployment technicians and engineers.”
Based in 2023, Luminous has developed LUMI, a robotic that may choose up photo voltaic panels and place them for securing onto racks. The Boston-based startup has acquired $4.8 million from the Australian Renewable Power Company (ARENA).
Luminous instantly addresses business challenges
LUMI makes use of synthetic intelligence and will help current workforces to put in 80 lb. (36.2 kg) photo voltaic panels as much as 3.5 instances quicker, with none heavy lifting or workflow adjustments, mentioned Luminous. It is a job that sometimes takes as much as 5 folks, usually in excessive winds or scorching climate.
“We did market analysis for the primary six months after incorporation in August 2023,” recalled Wong. “Folks have been attempting to automate photo voltaic set up for a decade, however there was no mass adoption but. Some corporations could also be higher capitalized than others, however so much has to do with focus. Photo voltaic folks have been attempting to construct robotics corporations, and robotics folks have been attempting to construct photo voltaic corporations.”
“Now we have a deep appreciation for the ache that the business is attempting to resolve,” he informed The Robotic Report. “We don’t actually care what the robotic is. We’re not a expertise firm; we’re an organization that solves issues.”
Wong mentioned he wrote all of the code for LUMI v1, which went from an idea to a robotic within the area in 10 weeks. Luminous first examined its photovoltaic (PV) panel installer at a web site in Virginia serving 1,300 prospects.
The startup quickly moved from wheels to a tracked iteration with a bigger battery. Luminous sources robotic arms and a chassis from companions and does all its meeting and testing in-house at a warehouse in Boston.
“We’ve constructed essentially the most versatile resolution within the business for photo voltaic development,” asserted Wong. “No different robotic can choose up photo voltaic panels from entrance or again, which is a vital enabler for inserting it into any development course of. The business revolves round danger mitigation — protecting construct initiatives on schedule with out introducing a single supply of huge danger. We’re not altering the way you choose panels off pallets or vehicles.”
“We’re now on Model 4, which is in restricted manufacturing,” he mentioned. “We’ve made it nimbler and are working to make issues extra modular, designing for manufacturing at scale. We’re beginning to ship out LUMI throughout the U.S. and Australia.”
LUMI augments human employees in photo voltaic PV set up. Supply: Luminous Robotics
LUMI to assist arrange Australian photo voltaic farms
Luminous mentioned LUMI can improve productiveness and security on Australian photo voltaic farms. Whereas the system has already demonstrated value reductions on photo voltaic farms within the U.S., the corporate mentioned the ARENA venture marks its first international deployment of a full fleet of 5 cell manipulators, which may scale back photo voltaic farm prices by as much as 6.2% over their lifetime.
Luminous has partnered with Equans, a worldwide engineering, procurement, and development agency, to deploy LUMI at two Australian photo voltaic farms — the 440MW Neoen Culcairn Photo voltaic Farm in New South Wales and the 250MW Engie Goorambat East Photo voltaic Farm in Victoria.
“Equans reached out to us final yr and introduced us in contact with ARENA,” mentioned Wong. “We had to make certain it will be worthwhile to ship the product and have the help infrastructure. Whereas there was a steep studying curve round laws and different issues, the Photo voltaic Scaleup Problem was an effective way to get into the Australian market. We’re flying on the market this weekend.”
LUMI will even gather web site and set up information to additional refine its design and optimize efficiency for vital value reductions in photo voltaic panel set up.
“Deploying our LUMI fleet in Australia will enable us to seize the info, efficiency insights, and real-world impression wanted to drive international adoption—the type of scale and transformation we based Luminous to realize,” mentioned Wong.
ARENA invests in Luminous for low-cost energy
The LUMI venture continues ARENA’s help of Australian innovation within the photo voltaic PV business. ARENA packages have offered greater than $290 million to round 300 photo voltaic analysis and improvement initiatives since 2012.
“ARENA has set an formidable aim to cut back the put in value of photo voltaic to 30 cents per watt and convey the levelised value of electrical energy (LCOE) beneath $20 per megawatt hour,” said Daren Miller, CEO of ARENA. “These are vital targets, as a result of at this value photo voltaic will type the inspiration for Australia’s renewable vitality ‘superpower’ future.”
“To realize web zero, Australia will want immense quantities of solar energy at ultra-low value,” he added. “We’ve already confirmed our capability to fabricate superior applied sciences. It’s now time to use that functionality to photo voltaic PV, a cornerstone of the nation’s clear vitality future.”
“Collaboration with corporations like Luminous is essential to lowering prices and sustaining Australia’s main position within the improvement and innovation of photo voltaic applied sciences,” he added. “We’re aiming to deliver collectively leaders throughout Australia and the world to deal with the challenges offered in our quest for even cheaper renewable vitality by means of this important expertise.”
LUMI can safely and effectively choose up photo voltaic panels from pallets for placement on racks. Supply: Luminous Robotics
Massachusetts supplies local weather for innovation
Luminous is a member of MassRobotics and was not too long ago named a finalist within the 2025 Eddie awards, which acknowledge innovators in Massachusetts.
“We’ve had numerous help from the native ecosystem and the state, together with from the Massachusetts Clear Power Heart,” mentioned Wong. “I discovered from Southie Autonomy to be cost-efficient. We’ve been onboarding two to a few folks practically each week, and we’ve got about 12 FTEs [full-time equivalents] and 5 contractors.”
How is Luminous navigating adjustments in U.S. funding for renewable vitality?
“The TAM [total addressable market] for ‘tremendous human’ guide work is huge, at $15 trillion, and outdoors the capability of instant human scope,” mentioned Wong. “The federal funds will have an effect on tax credit for development, which is able to hit residential markets hardest. It’s driving a frenzy to begin development instantly, notably on the utility aspect.”
“However photo voltaic remains to be the bottom value of vitality by any supply, and as AI information facilities demand instant technology for energy-intensive infrastructures, photo voltaic remains to be the quickest to arrange,” he famous. “I’m nonetheless bullish on the business within the U.S., and much more so globally.”
