ARENA commits AUS$3.2 million to pursue ultra-low-cost photo voltaic

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ARENA confirmed its dedication on Wednesday (31 July). It’s going to allow PV Lighthouse to speed up software program growth by increasing its staff with new researchers and programmers.

McIntosh mentioned the product permits builders “to quickly calculate elements reminiscent of buildings and modules with SunSolve, giving them larger confidence of their forecasts – a key benefit when negotiating mission financing”.

Constructed Robotics Australia has obtained AUS$1.3 million to assist progress its autonomous piling robotic mission, an Australian market first that can automate the pile-driving processes related to setting up utility-scale photo voltaic farms. Strategies at the moment in place have been deemed “labour and time intensive”, ARENA mentioned.

The design and piloting of first and second-generation prototype robots have the potential to cut back piling time and labour prices by roughly 82% and 88%, respectively, rising set up effectivity and security.

Paul Kelly, basic supervisor and vice-president of enterprise growth at Constructed Robotics, believes Australia stays a “expertise hub for renewable power”, including that the organisation is “honoured” to be working with ARENA to invent higher methods to construct photo voltaic initiatives.

ARENA CEO Darren Miller mentioned each initiatives will assist enhance photo voltaic PV expertise, making it extra environment friendly and faster to deploy. This may assist realise Australia’s renewable power future sooner. 

“Extremely low-cost photo voltaic is Australia’s key to reaching the renewable power transition and reaching our web zero targets. Automation and effectivity are each main instruments in driving down prices. Each initiatives are exploring progressive approaches to doing simply this,” Miller mentioned.

“These are groundbreaking initiatives utilizing cutting-edge expertise to reinforce Australia’s photo voltaic PV manufacturing and power era.”

Tasks an instance of concepts to be supported through the Photo voltaic ScaleUp Problem

Based on ARENA, these initiatives have been referenced as the kind the organisation desires to assist through the AUS$100 million Photo voltaic ScaleUp Problem initiative, which opened on 19 June 2024, and ARENA administers.

The initiative invitations professionals from throughout the worldwide photo voltaic panorama, reminiscent of financiers, photo voltaic prospects, engineers, and builders, to interrupt down obstacles to putting in, working, and sustaining photo voltaic PV initiatives.

This will even allow ARENA to work in the direction of its imaginative and prescient for ultra-low-cost photo voltaic, arguing {that a} ‘30-30-30’ method to photo voltaic, representing 30% photo voltaic module effectivity and an put in price of 30 cents per watt by 2030, may assist Australia grow to be a renewable power superpower. This is able to imply reaching a levelised price of electrical energy under AUS$20 per megawatt hour by 2030.