ARENA opens $20m funding round for next generation solar PV

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has announced a $20 million funding round to drive more research and development into solar PV to help achieve even greater cost savings and ensure that it can provide more than 30 per cent of Australia’s electricity needs within 15 years.

The funding round will be open for applications from tomorrow (Wednesday, May 24) for one month, and follows the release earlier this month of ARENA’s new investment priorities – which include solar PV research, storage, and renewable energy exports.

ARENA has indicated it will no longer provide funding for large scale solar PV, given the success of its recent $100 million round that helped fund 490MW of projects and helped spark an investment book that has seen another 2000MW of large scale solar begin construction of near financial close.

But CEO Ivor Frischknecht says that despite the recent big falls in the cost of solar, further research was warranted to make the technology even more efficient and affordable.

“This dedicated research and development funding for solar PV is part of our commitment to finding and supporting further breakthroughs in solar PV,” he said in a statement.

“Australia has some of the best solar PV researchers in the world, and we want to build what we’ve already accomplished. This leverage the impressive gains already made in cost reduction and cell efficiency.
“And that is just the beginning. We see a future where solar cells might be on every surface.”  He repeated his view that solar could provide more than 30 per cent of Australia’s electricity within 15 years.
ARENA has committed $109.3 million in funding to solar PV R&D projects, fellowships and scholarships since 2012, and ARENA funded research has helped to break 14 solar efficiency world records.
 The funding round will be open to Australian solar PV researchers undertaking projects focussed on emerging and established solar PV cell and modules technologies. ARENA expects to award grants of between $500,000 and $5 million for any single project.

Comments

4 responses to “ARENA opens $20m funding round for next generation solar PV”

  1. Ren Stimpy Avatar
    Ren Stimpy

    “ARENA has indicated it will no longer provide funding for large scale solar PV”

    I can’t see why not. Why the hell not? If the dunce stroke-affected (one-sided/Murdoch media) has a problem with that I’m sure it won’t amount to much. Forget those dumb political vacuous Murdoch one-side blinded political cunts and let’s see every proposal on its merits. Every proposal on its merits.

  2. Peter F Avatar
    Peter F

    Including rooftop we are currently building more than 2GW of solar per year 0n balnce that will provide about 4.5TWhr. Keep that up for 15 years and it will already be more than 30% of demand
    With continuing price falls there is no reason why the installation rate won’t increase

    1. Alastair Leith Avatar
      Alastair Leith

      for sure.

  3. Alastair Leith Avatar
    Alastair Leith

    Fantastic news.

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