A lot of good things await in this new year for the renewable energy industry. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has made a significant step to make Ultra Low-Cost Solar (ULCS) even more possible with its recent funding.
ARENA has awarded $41.5 million to 13 research projects across three universities; the University of New South Wales, the Australian National University, and the University of Sydney.
According to ARENA CEO Darren Miller, “Australia’s researchers have helped to make solar PV the cheapest form of energy in history. But to create a future in which Australian solar energy supplies the world with clean power, fuels, and products, we need to be ambitious and drive the cost even lower.”
Arena’s Solar 30 30 30
SOLAR 30 30 30 is a mission to improve solar cell efficiency to 30 per cent. In addition, it aims to reduce the cost to 30 cents per watt, fully installed in the field by 2030.
As governments and agencies in Australia make a move to reach net zero, you can do your part by switching to solar. To reduce your utility bills, you can use our free bill comparison tool to compare local offers from Australia’s major energy retailers and help you make the switch in a few quick steps. All you need to get started is a recent energy bill.
Successful research applicants
Initially, ARENA opened the applications for funding in February 2022. Now, the successful applicants are those who displayed strong potential to reduce solar panel cost and improve their efficiency across two streams:
- Stream 1: This is focused on cells and modules where the $27.5 million is allocated.
- Stream 2: This is all about driving down the costs of operations and maintenance of utility-scale solar PV in the field where the $14 million funding is allocated.
ARENA’s decision to grant funding to these three universities is very much well-deserved as they have shown significant progress in innovation and development in solar energy.
The University of New South Wales made a major breakthrough in renewable energy technology last year with their “night-time” solar power.
UNSW’s team from the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering generated electricity from heat radiated as infrared light the same way the Earth cools by radiating into space at night, based on UNSW’s Newsroom.
Another successful applicant, the Australian National University (ANU), has also made progress in renewable energy. In November 2022, researchers found a way to improve the performance of solar PV by adding passivating contracts between metal and silicon parts of the solar cell. In turn, this makes the PV cells more productive.
The research team now aims to develop the technology when it can be applied to industrial solar cells at a large scale. And with the recent funding, ANU will be on its way to making their plans come to fruition.
Finally, the third successful applicant, the University of Sydney, reached a major milestone in 2022 with molten salt batteries, which can be a potential alternative to lithium.
The battery was made from sodium sulphur, which is a type of molten salt that can be processed from seawater. As a result, it’s a low-cost battery that is even more environmentally friendly.
In July last year, the University of Sydney announced that it is now powered by 100 per cent renewable electricity in light of its partnership with Red Energy and Snowy Hydro Limited. This sets the university ahead of its target of 2025 and brings them closer to net zero emissions by 2030.
ARENA’s funding is not only focused on improving and developing new technology for low-cost solar, but they also provide support to enable the commercialisation of each core research and development phase.
“ARENA is supporting these universities to get behind the target of ‘Solar 30 30 30’ helping to optimise Australia’s transition to renewable electricity and achieve our emissions reduction targets,” Miller said.
Energy Matters has over 17 years of experience in the solar industry and has helped over 40,000 Australian households in their journey to energy independence.
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