The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has made available AU$45 million in funding to Fortescue to develop a Pilbara Solar Innovation Hub.
The initiative will trial emerging technologies to reduce the cost of renewable energy generation and support Australia’s green energy transition.
Fortescue will use the hub to select and test a suite of 10 new technologies aimed at improving safety, reducing costs and accelerating large-scale solar deployment. It will operate across Fortescue’s renewable energy portfolio, including the Cloudbreak solar farm, which is now nearing completion.
Fortescue CEO of Metals and Operations, Dino Otranto, said: “This opportunity to work with ARENA is a strong endorsement of Fortescue’s commitment to pioneering renewable energy solutions at scale.
“The Solar Innovation Hub will allow us to trial and refine new technologies that improve safety, speed up delivery and drive down costs – helping us and Australia accelerate the transition to green energy.”
One of the first projects supported under the initiative is a technology trial with Built Robotics. It will see robotic systems install more than 1,200 solar piles at the Cloudbreak solar farm. The trial is aimed at improving installation speed while reducing labour constraints in remote environments.
Fortescue is also working with solar company 5B to trial its Maverick system, a modular solar solution designed for rapid deployment and lower labour requirements. The trial will assess its potential to deliver fast, cost-effective renewable energy solutions.
ARENA CEO Darren Miller said the Solar Innovation Hub will help drive down the costs involved in solar projects.
“Solar PV deployment is evolving as we find new ways to reduce costs, streamline logistics and adapt to challenging environmental conditions.
“These advances are helping to lower the levelised cost of energy (LCOE) and improve commercial viability for the heavy industrial and hard-to-abate sectors,” Miller said.
