How to Apply for Funding
- 1 Step 1 - Read the program guidelines
- 2 Step 2 - Observe the key dates
- 3 Step 3 - Prepare your response
Program Guidelines
ARENA is providing up to $15 million to support R&D to address end-of-life issues for solar PV panels, as well as lowering their cost.
All applicants will be notified in writing in early April as to whether they have been successful or unsuccessful in the EOI stage. Only successful applicants will be invited to submit a Full Application.This is a competitive Round under ARENA’s Research and Development Program, open to applications for Projects with a Technology Readiness Level of 2-4 (inclusive) at the time of applying.
The Round has four priority areas and applicants must select one as their focus:
1. End of life: New solutions, including improved upfront solar PV panel designs and end of life processing, that increase the cost-effectiveness of sustainable end of life management of solar PV panels. Solutions that are not specifically addressing solar PV panel end of life issues are excluded. Collection of solar panels and associated logistics are excluded from ARENA funding.
2. Advanced silicon: Improvements to the overall cost-effectiveness of silicon-based panels already in mass-market production, and their production processes. Testing or analysis that is not part of the manufacturing process is excluded.
3. Tandem silicon: Increasing the cost-effectiveness of silicon-based solar PV through the use of tandem materials.
4. New materials: Development of new materials with the potential to either reach breakthrough cost-efficiencies, or the potential for new deployment applications.Guidelines
Updated – Funding recipients
Key dates
- Expression of Interest opens 11 December 2019 until 26 February 2020, 5.00 pm AEDT
- Full applications open to invited applicants from early April 2020 for six weeks
- Successful applicants expected to be notified in July 2020
- Negotiation and finalisation of Funding Agreement expected to be completed by September 2020
Application guidance documents
Use these documents to assist with your application:
- Funding Round Guidelines (PDF 136KB)
- International Technology Roadmap for Photovoltaic (ITRPV), tenth edition March 2019
- Funding Agreement Template (DOCX 272KB)
- Knowledge Sharing Plan (PDF 165KB) | (DOCX 54KB)
- Risk Management Plan Template (PDF 133KB) | (DOCX 39KB)
- Compliance Table Template (PDF 97KB) | (DOCX 114KB)
Webinar
ARENA held two information sessions via webinar. Questions asked during the sessions have also been added to the FAQ document.