Robotics company Luminous has received AU$4.9 million (US$3.2 million) via Australia’s Solar ScaleUp Challenge to support the deployment of its ‘LUMI’ technology at utility-scale solar PV power plants.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) oversees the AU$100 million Solar ScaleUp Challenge initiative and believes that the LUMI robot will improve productivity and safety at Australia’s solar PV power plants. This will be demonstrated in a new project between the companies.
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The LUMI robot is an AI-powered pick-and-place solution designed to streamline utility-scale solar construction. It autonomously installs solar modules onto racking structures, enabling onsite workers to finalise the securing process. This reduces manual labour and enhances installation speed, safety and cost-efficiency.
Indeed, the robot will assist the current workforce by enabling them to install solar modules “up to 3.5 times faster” and by eliminating the need for heavy lifting.
LUMI to be deployed across Australia
ARENA said that LUMI has already shown its ability to reduce costs for solar PV plants in the US.
However, the new project represents the first global deployment of a complete fleet of five LUMI robots, which has the potential to lower solar power plant costs by up to 6.2%.
Luminous has partnered with Equans, a global engineering, procurement, and construction firm, to implement LUMI at two utility-scale solar PV power plants in Australia.
These are Neoen’s 440MW Culcairn solar PV plant located in New South Wales and Engie’s 250MW Goorambat East project in Victoria.
ARENA’s vision for solar in Australia
ARENA CEO Darren Miller highlights that reducing operation and maintenance costs in deploying large-scale solar is critical in achieving ARENA’s ultra-low-cost solar vision.
“Solutions like LUMI are key to reducing costs and maintaining Australia’s leading role in the development and innovation of solar technologies,” Miller said.
ARENA is currently working towards its Ultra Low-Cost Solar (ULCS) vision, which argues that a ‘30-30-30’ approach to solar, representing 30% solar module efficiency and an installed cost of 30 cents per watt by 2030, could help Australia become a renewable energy superpower. This would mean achieving a levelised cost of electricity below AU$20 per megawatt hour by 2030.
Miller reiterated the importance of this ULCS vision, stating that they are important targets, “because at this cost, solar will form the foundation for Australia’s renewable energy ‘superpower’ future.”
ARENA launched the Solar ScaleUp Challenge on 19 June 2024, running for eight weeks. The initiative invited professionals from across the international solar landscape, such as financiers, solar customers, engineers, and developers, to break down barriers to installing, operating, and maintaining solar PV projects.
Later that year, the organisation launched the AU$1 billion Solar Sunshot Program, which aims to support domestic module manufacturing. Last month, the first recipient of this scheme was revealed as prefabricated ‘folding’ solar structure provider 5B.
PV Tech Premium explored the Solar Sunshot and Solar ScaleUp initiatives in PV Tech Power Volume 40.
