The APVI has announced the findings of its Silicon to Solar (S2S) study, which examined the opportunity for Australia to establish viable, relevant, and timely local manufacturing along the solar PV supply chain. The full S2S report was launched by ARENA at the Asia-Pacific Solar Research Conference in Melbourne today.
Australia’s transition to a renewable energy superpower is heavily reliant on the availability of solar modules, which are predominantly manufactured in China. This dependency on a single external source raises concerns about Australia’s control, influence over and opportunity to benefit from the solar supply chain and, therefore, its renewable energy future.
“The ‘Silicon to Solar’ study compared manufacturing costs in China and Australia for current state-of the art technology and explored ways of overcoming cost gaps in each of the manufacturing stages. The findings present a roadmap for the development of a PV manufacturing value chain in Australia to increase our energy security, along with policy levers that can be used to facilitate this”. Dr Muriel Watt.
A wide range of Australian and international industry and government agencies were engaged to ensure the assessment was current and that the opportunities identified reflected the conditions necessary for businesses to establish PV manufacturing in Australia.
The reports key recommendations include:
- Establishing Solar PV manufacturing as a strategic priority industry for Australia
- Examining ways to facilitate PV manufacturing workforce development, approvals and permitting, and international partnerships
- Developing supply-side policy support levers, including concessional finance and production credits
- Encouraging demand-side policy levers across all levels of government, including government procurement, circular economy drivers and local content incentives
The study was undertaken by APVI in partnership with the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics (ACAP) and with assistance from Bright Dimension, ITP Renewables and Deloitte Financial Services. Advisory Board members with extensive experience in PV manufacturing and industry development have guided the work: Mark Twidell, Mark Bonnar and David Jordan. Funding was provided by ARENA, with industry contributions from AGL, AspiraDAC, Siemens, Energus, SunDrive, 5B, and Tindo Solar.
The full report ‘Silicon to Solar: Foundations for Solar PV Manufacturing in Australia’, will be available from 11:30am 5th December on the APVI website HERE.
