Australian manufacturing of solar construction robots is set to expand, with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) committing up to $31.1 million to establish production facilities in Melbourne and Brisbane.
According to ARENA, the funding will support the local manufacture of autonomous robots that install solar panels and systems that drive foundation piles, aiming to improve the speed, safety and efficiency of large-scale solar farm construction.
The funding is being provided through Round 2 of ARENA’s Solar Sunshot Program. The projects are intended to strengthen domestic supply chains, develop specialist skills and help address workforce constraints as Australia expands its large-scale solar capacity.
“Local manufacturing and automation can improve the way solar farms are built by reducing construction costs and making installation faster, safer and more efficient,” ARENA CEO Darren Miller said.
Luminous Robotics will receive up to $17.8 million to establish a manufacturing facility in Melbourne for its LUMI autonomous solar panel installation robots. The facility is expected to support the manufacture and deployment of around 100 robots by 2029.
The technology has been demonstrated at solar farms in Victoria and New South Wales, where it was tested under Australian construction and environmental conditions. ARENA said the funding would help move the robots from field demonstrations to industrial-scale manufacturing.
“We’ve proven LUMI on real solar farms in Australia, in the heat and dust, doing some of the hardest work on site. With ARENA’s support, the next step is to turn that into scale,” Tenzin Crouch, general manager of Luminous Robotics Australia, said.
Meanwhile, Built Robotics Australia will receive up to $13.3 million to establish a manufacturing hub and operations centre in Brisbane for its autonomous piling systems. The project will involve manufacturing and deploying 12 robotic piling systems for utility-scale solar construction.
Built Robotics said the facility would support local jobs and supply chains while building on its previous work deploying autonomous piling technology in Australia.
“Our Brisbane hub will make Queensland a home for autonomous solar construction, creating skilled local jobs and a supply chain that serves projects in Australia,” Paul Kelly, vice president of business development at Built Robotics, said.
ARENA said the two projects would establish Australian manufacturing capability across two labour-intensive stages of solar farm construction.
The agency said it expects the technologies to support more efficient project delivery while improving domestic access to advanced construction equipment.
