ARENA is building on Australia’s rich history of invention by helping local companies develop world-leading renewable energy solutions.
Research and development is the place where innovation begins, and emerging technology needs funding that is not typically available in the commercial market.
Our Research and Development (R&D) program supports ground breaking projects that will increase the use of renewable energy technologies in Australia by making them competitive with conventional energy sources.
Up to $300 million in grants has been allocated to develop ARENA’s R&D portfolio from 2013 to 2022.
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Why we are advancing solar in Australia through R&D investment (Read more)
ARENA completed a year-long consultation project in December 2016 which focussed on assessing the Australian and global solar research, development and demonstration.
This project included working with an expert reference group, holding workshops, commissioning an in-depth report and – in parallel – conducting reviews of our major solar R&D investments in the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics (ACAP) and the Australian Solar Thermal Research Institute (ASTRI).
Consultation workshops
Stakeholders were invited to participate in a workshop on 16 November 2016 where ARENA tested out directions for solar RD&D investment by the agency. Participants on the day included representatives from research and technology organisations such as (ANU, UQ, UNSW, UoA, RMIT, CSIRO, Solinno, Epho, First Solar and Photon Energy). We appreciate the engagement on the day and in follow up discussions of all stakeholders.
Reports
- Advancing solar in Australia through RD&D Investment – Summary for stakeholders (PDF 766KB)
- Advancing solar in Australia through RD&D Investment – Final report (PDF 5MB)
More information
- Email: consultations@arena.gov.au
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Past opportunities
Renewable hydrogen for export
Development of a potential renewable energy export supply chain, centred around hydrogen and related carrier materials.Classification: Funding roundAvailable: ClosedFunding solar research & development
Reduce the cost and improve the efficiency of solar PV, from creating flexible solar devices to making semi-transparent, high-efficiency solar cells for integrating into windows.Classification: Funding roundAvailable: Closed