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Overview
  • Start date

    07 February 2022

  • Closing date

    01 August 2022

How to Apply for Funding

Step 1 - Read the program guidelines
  • Background

    The Australian Government’s Long-Term Emissions Reduction Plan and Low Emissions Technology Statement 2021 (LETS) identifies that reducing the cost of solar PV generation will be critical to unlocking the economic, employment and emissions abatement potential of other priority low emissions technologies. The LETS has identified a stretch goal of $15 per MWh for the Levelised Cost of Energy (LCOE) for utility scale solar PV.

    How it works

    We are seeking proposals for Research & Development (R&D) projects to accelerate cost reductions and help meet the Australian Government’s solar stretch goal. The Ultra Low Cost Solar PV (ULCS) Round is open to a broad range of applicants, including research groups and commercial organisations. We seek ambitious proposals that can make a significant contribution to these cost reduction objectives.

    This is a competitive funding round under our Transformative Research Accelerating Commercialisation (TRAC) Program. It is open to applications for projects which have achieved a Technology Readiness Level of at least three at the time of applying.

    The round has 2 streams. Applicants must select one as their focus:

    1. Cells and modules: Improvement in the efficiency of cells and modules is a key lever for reducing LCOE. Cells and modules also need to be cost competitive, offer longevity and consider sustainability issues when manufactured and deployed at scale.

    2. Balance of System costs and Operations and Maintenance: Significant reduction of Balance of System (BoS) costs and Operations and Maintenance (O&M) costs are also required to achieve ULCS. Innovative plant design configurations and the use of advanced automation in assembly and construction are potential pathways to lower utility scale solar PV construction costs. In the O&M phase, automated maintenance technology and intelligent plant monitoring systems are potential cost reduction pathways.

    Further reading

Step 2 - Observe the key dates
  • Key dates

    Applicants will be notified in writing in June 2022 as to whether they have been successful or unsuccessful in the EOI stage. Only successful applicants will be invited to submit a full application.

    • Expressions of Interest closed Monday 11 April 5:00 PM AEST
    • Full Applications are open to invited Applicants from mid June 2022 and will close Monday 1 August 5:00 PM AEST
    • We expect to notify successful Applicants in October 2022.
Step 3 - Prepare your response
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