The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has committed up to AU$31.1 million to establish automated solar manufacturing facilities across Melbourne and Brisbane.
Awarded under Round 2 of ARENA’s AU$850 million Solar Sunshot Program, the funding supports the production of complementary robotic technologies designed to make large-scale solar farm development faster, safer, and cheaper.
The funding will see Luminous Robotics receive up to AU$17.8 million to build a manufacturing facility in Melbourne for its LUMI autonomous panel-installation robots.
Emerging from ARENA’s 2024 Solar Challenge, Luminous has already trialled the LUMI robots under harsh field conditions in Victoria and New South Wales. The new site aims to produce and deploy roughly 100 LUMI units by 2029.
Simultaneously, Built Robotics Australia was awarded up to AU$13.3 million to establish a Brisbane manufacturing hub and operations centre.
The facility will manufacture and deploy 12 autonomous piling systems, automating the labour-intensive process of driving foundation piles into the ground for utility-scale solar projects.
ARENA CEO Darren Miller said foundation piling and panel placement are two of the most physically demanding, labour-intensive aspects of solar farm construction.
“Australia needs to install large volumes of solar quickly and cost-effectively,” Miller said.
“Local manufacturing and automation can improve the way solar farms are built by reducing construction costs and making installation faster, safer and more efficient; an important part of ARENA’s ultra-low-cost solar vision.”
Luminous Robotics Australia General Manager Tenzin Crouch said robotics will play a vital role in achieving the speed and scale required for Australia’s clean energy transition.
Built Robotics Vice President of Business Development Paul Kelly noted that the Brisbane facility will secure Queensland as a central hub for autonomous solar construction and local physical AI manufacturing.
The Solar Sunshot Program aims to support innovation in Australia’s solar PV manufacturing industry. The program was announced by the Australian government in March 2024 and seeks to uncover and support innovation to drive scale and diversity in a critical industry.
