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 tasks could also be unsure within the U.S., curiosity in robotics to help development is rising worldwide. Luminous Robotics Inc. at this time stated 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,” stated Jay M. Wong, CEO of Luminous. “We’ve arrange a unit and a warehouse over there and may do meeting and testing. We’ve additionally onboarded a common 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 decide up photo voltaic panels and place them for securing onto racks. The Boston-based startup has acquired $4.8 million from the Australian Renewable Vitality Company (ARENA).
Luminous straight addresses business challenges
LUMI makes use of synthetic intelligence and may also help current workforces to put in 80 lb. (36.2 kg) photo voltaic panels as much as 3.5 instances sooner, with none heavy lifting or workflow adjustments, stated Luminous. This can be a activity that sometimes takes as much as 5 individuals, usually in excessive winds or sizzling 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 individuals have been attempting to construct robotics corporations, and robotics individuals have been attempting to construct photo voltaic corporations.”
“We’ve got a deep appreciation for the ache that the business is attempting to resolve,” he advised 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 stated he wrote all of the code for LUMI v1, which went from an idea to a robotic within the discipline in 10 weeks. Luminous first examined its photovoltaic (PV) panel installer at a website 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 probably the most versatile answer within the business for photo voltaic development,” asserted Wong. “No different robotic can decide up photo voltaic panels from entrance or again, which is a crucial enabler for inserting it into any development course of. The business revolves round threat mitigation — conserving construct tasks on schedule with out introducing a single supply of huge threat. We’re not altering the way you decide panels off pallets or vans.”
“We’re now on Model 4, which is in restricted manufacturing,” he stated. “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 staff in photo voltaic PV set up. Supply: Luminous Robotics
LUMI to assist arrange Australian photo voltaic farms
Luminous stated LUMI can improve productiveness and security on Australian photo voltaic farms. Whereas the system has already demonstrated price reductions on photo voltaic farms within the U.S., the corporate stated the ARENA venture marks its first international deployment of a full fleet of 5 cellular 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 12 months and introduced us in contact with ARENA,” stated Wong. “We had to make sure 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 a good way to get into the Australian market. We’re flying on the market this weekend.”
LUMI may also gather website and set up information to additional refine its design and optimize efficiency for vital price reductions in photo voltaic panel set up.
“Deploying our LUMI fleet in Australia will enable us to seize the information, efficiency insights, and real-world influence wanted to drive international adoption—the form of scale and transformation we based Luminous to realize,” stated 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 applications have supplied greater than $290 million to round 300 photo voltaic analysis and growth tasks since 2012.
“ARENA has set an formidable purpose to cut back the put in price of photo voltaic to 30 cents per watt and convey the levelised price of electrical energy (LCOE) under $20 per megawatt hour,” acknowledged Daren Miller, CEO of ARENA. “These are essential targets, as a result of at this price photo voltaic will kind the muse for Australia’s renewable power ‘superpower’ future.”
“To attain web zero, Australia will want immense quantities of solar energy at ultra-low price,” he added. “We’ve already confirmed our skill to fabricate superior applied sciences. It’s now time to use that functionality to photo voltaic PV, a cornerstone of the nation’s clear power future.”
“Collaboration with corporations like Luminous is essential to decreasing prices and sustaining Australia’s main function within the growth 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 introduced in our quest for even cheaper renewable power by way of this vital expertise.”
LUMI can safely and effectively decide 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 just lately named a finalist within the 2025 Eddie awards, which acknowledge innovators in Massachusetts.
“We’ve had lots of help from the native ecosystem and the state, together with from the Massachusetts Clear Vitality Heart,” stated Wong. “I discovered from Southie Autonomy to be cost-efficient. We’ve been onboarding two to 3 individuals almost each week, and we have now about 12 FTEs [full-time equivalents] and 5 contractors.”
How is Luminous navigating adjustments in U.S. funding for renewable power?
“The TAM [total addressable market] for photo voltaic set up is very large, at $15 trillion, and outdoors the capability of instant human scope,” stated Wong. “The federal price range will have an effect on tax credit for development, which is able to hit residential markets hardest. It’s driving a frenzy to start out development instantly, significantly on the utility facet.”
“However photo voltaic continues to be the bottom price of power by any supply, and as AI information facilities demand instant technology for energy-intensive infrastructures, photo voltaic continues to be the quickest to arrange,” he famous. “I’m nonetheless bullish on the business within the U.S., and much more so globally.”
