Lumimous Robotics, with headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts, is having a significant influence on the photo voltaic trade half a world away within the city of Benalla, 130 miles northeast of Melbourne, Australia. That’s the place its robotic photo voltaic panel set up machines are serving to assemble a 250 MW solar energy facility in document time. When absolutely accomplished in 2026, the Goorambat East photo voltaic farm will include almost 600,000 photo voltaic panels, most of them put in by the corporate’s Lumi 4 robots.
In a submit on LinkedIn, Luminous Robotics founder and CEO Jay Wong wrote,
“The Luminous S4 fleet is stay on Goorambat East Photo voltaic Farm, a 319 MWdc (250 MWac) website constructed by one of many largest development firms on the planet, Bouygues Development…..for one of many largest vitality firms on this planet, ENGIE, in probably the most superior and intense photo voltaic vitality markets on the globe, Australia.
“Our workforce has pulled off probably the most aggressive logistics + manufacturing + subject deployment timeline thus far. The end result: LUMI exceeding goal manufacturing charge, at 103% — with key knowledge & circulation insights to shockingly enhance nameplate capability in the direction of 246%.
“This demanded a Herculean effort from Boston HQ, our newly established AU division, and a workforce of trainers on the bottom operators to ship this imaginative and prescient midway internationally, at unparalleled execution pace — which was solely made potential by leaders who all laced up their boots on Aussie soil to ship one thing actually impactful.
“Fueled by help from Australian Renewable Power Company (ARENA), we’re eager to speed up our subsequent part the place we positive tune the LUMI fleet’s capabilities — additional advancing and optimizing circulation, autonomy, reliability, manufacturability, and massively enhancing vitality infrastructure at scale. Keep tuned!
Here’s a video of the Lumi 4 robots in operation. [It is best watched with the rather annoying sound track muted.]
Robots Decrease Photo voltaic Set up Prices
A report by Sustainability Instances claims that by decreasing development time and labor prices, these machines could make photo voltaic vitality initiatives extra financially viable. “This might result in a rise within the variety of photo voltaic farms, contributing to a extra sustainable vitality grid. Moreover, the environmental advantages are vital. By facilitating the speedy deployment of photo voltaic panels, robots can speed up the shift away from fossil fuels, decreasing carbon emissions and contributing to international local weather targets.”
Justin Webb is the challenge supervisor for ENGIE in Australia. “The system was used to put in pilings and extra not too long ago photo voltaic panels, with American firm Luminous testing their LUMI system exterior of the US for the primary time and demonstrating the way forward for photo voltaic farm development,” Webb mentioned, in line with Fascinating Engineering.
“The supposed increased productiveness of those autonomous methods will scale back the price of renewable vitality initiatives and allow initiatives to be inbuilt much less time – which can deliver down vitality prices for shoppers and doubtlessly enable extra photo voltaic farms to be constructed.”
The robots additionally require expert technicians to function them, leading to upskilling the present renewable vitality workforce and enabling extra productiveness, Webb added. “Using autonomous robots might even have massive advantages for the development of photo voltaic farms in distant and inhospitable areas, akin to is deserts, the place the local weather could possibly be harmful for human employees.”
Open Supply Database
Luminous Robotics and ARENA will quickly launch a complete robotics dataset to the general public, which they hope will encourage additional innovation and collaboration. By making this knowledge out there, they purpose to democratize photo voltaic know-how and allow extra communities to profit from clear vitality. This open supply method might speed up developments in robotic capabilities and pave the best way for extra environment friendly photo voltaic installations sooner or later.
There are all the time a priority when the phrase “robotic” is launched right into a dialog that people shall be displaced, resulting in a world very like that envisioned within the Disney film Wall-E. However the events constructing the Goorambat East say there are new alternatives for human staff made potential by way of these robots.
The mixing of robotics into photo voltaic farm development shouldn’t be solely about effectivity but in addition about fostering a talented workforce. Justin Webb mentioned the LUMI robots require expert technicians, which creates new job alternatives within the renewable vitality sector. He factors out that robots could possibly be particularly helpful in distant and harsh areas the place working situations may be difficult. Morocco and different elements of the MENA space come to thoughts as locations the place robots might play an necessary function.
“In the long term, with continued improvement, robots like these will even allow a discount in well being and security associated dangers from development initiatives, for instance decreasing the handbook dealing with of heavy photo voltaic panels,” Justin Webb mentioned.
Leapting Robots Are Additionally In Australia
The Lumi 4 shouldn’t be the one robotic putting in photo voltaic panels in Australia. China — not surprisingly — can be utilizing robots at its huge photo voltaic installations. Earlier this yr, robots from China’s Leapting started putting in photo voltaic panels at a photo voltaic type in New South Wales. In February, my colleague, Derek Markham wrote:
“By making photo voltaic farm development sooner, safer, and extra environment friendly, Leapting’s robotic might assist speed up the worldwide transition to renewable vitality. With the trade pushing for decrease prices and elevated deployment of solar energy, automation would possibly simply be the lacking piece that makes large-scale photo voltaic much more viable.
“Along with the module mounting robotic, Leapting additionally affords different PV-focused automated merchandise, akin to a module-cleaning robotic and a module-inspection robotic, which may be built-in into massive photo voltaic farms to boost effectivity and decrease labor prices.”
Utilizing high-precision visible recognition know-how, the robotic can precisely detect the construction and spacing of panel helps, making certain every module is positioned shortly and exactly. The robotic is designed to deal with PV modules weighing as much as 30 kilograms using a strong suction cup system.
It has a excessive clearance chassis and crawler tracks, and options absolutely automated navigation, together with impediment avoidance methods. Geared up with high-precision visible recognition know-how, it precisely perceives the construction and spacing of helps, which ensures the exact set up of every module.
Leapting experiences that the robots can set up 60 modules per hour — a charge of 1 module per minute. This automated course of not solely considerably will increase effectivity but in addition reduces the security dangers related to handbook labor, resulting in an estimated 30% discount in set up prices.
Transferring Photo voltaic Ahead
Something that strikes the renewable vitality transition ahead and makes it extra aggressive with thermal technology is welcome information. Leapting and Luminous appear to be leaders on this new know-how, however others are positive to affix within the enjoyable sooner or later. The query some could have is whether or not involving robots takes away from the promise of excellent paying jobs for staff from different industries.
Luminous says people are nonetheless wanted to keep up the robots and do the work of fastening the panels to the racking methods after the robotic places them in place. But somebody, someplace is unquestionably engaged on a machine that may carry out that process as properly sometime.
Australia has absolutely embraced solar energy whereas different nations stay mired in NIMBY purgatory and powerful political headwinds. Luminous could also be focusing on the Australian market partly due to an absence of shoppers in its residence nation.
Supply: https://cleantechnica.com/2025/10/06/ai-powered-robots-install-solar-panels-faster-than-any-humans/
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