$45.5 million supercharge for local solar manufacturing

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced $34.5 million in funding to support Tindo to scale up domestic production of solar PV, and a further $11 million to Solquartz, Energus and Stellar for feasibility studies, all under the federal government’s $1 billion Solar Sunshot Program.

Tindo, Australia’s only solar module manufacturer, will use the funding to upgrade its Mawson Lakes facility in South Australia, scaling its annual output from 20 MW to 180 MW, introducing advanced automation and expanding its product range to include premium N-type solar modules. The project also includes a feasibility study for a future gigafactory capable of producing 1 GW of solar panels annually.

ARENA CEO Darren Miller said funding projects like Tindo is a key step in building a resilient, homegrown solar manufacturing industry.

“As the only homegrown solar module manufacturer, Tindo brings unmatched local expertise to the table,” he said. “With deep knowledge of our labour market and manufacturing processes, they’re uniquely placed to help scale up and strengthen our solar PV industry.

“Australia needs to install hundreds of millions of solar panels over the coming decades to reach our 2050 emissions goals and deliver on the renewable energy superpower ambition. There is an opportunity to make a portion of these here in Australia and today marks a significant step in that direction.”

The Mawson Lakes facility upgrade will create more than 50 direct jobs, with flow-on benefits to local suppliers. Additionally, Tindo will deliver a recruitment and training program to upskill workers to meet the specific needs of the solar manufacturing industry. The proposed gigafactory would aim to employ a further 230 people, with approximately half of them trained in solar PV manufacturing roles.

Tindo CEO Richard Petterson said the funding was a strategic and targeted way to sustainably boost Australian solar PV manufacturing.

“With targeted support over the next seven years, we’ll be able to scale up production at our Mawson Lakes facility to a more efficient and cost-effective model,” he said. “That means lower prices, broader market reach and maintaining the high-quality Australian-made panels we’re known for.”

A further $11 million has been awarded to support feasibility studies for upstream solar manufacturing:

• $5 million to Solquartz for its Townsville Green Polysilicon Feasibility Study into a 100,000 tpa low-emission, solar-grade polysilicon production facility close to Townsville, Queensland.
• $1.3 million to Energus for its feasibility study for a 50,000 tpa low-emissions, solar-grade polysilicon production facility at AGL’s Hunter Energy Hub.
• $4.7 million to Stellar PV for its feasibility study for a 2 GW low-emissions polysilicon ingot pulling and wafering facility close to Townsville, Queensland.
   

These studies will explore local production of polysilicon, ingots and wafers, which are critical components in solar panel manufacturing.

Learn more about Solar Sunshot at https://arena.gov.au/funding/solar-sunshot/.

Image credit: iStock.com/Thurtell