APVI Silicon to Solar Study

Summary

Need

Australia has rich solar resources and the potential to become a global solar PV superpower, with ARENA’s commitment to increasing renewable energy supply and investment in commercialising low-emissions metals and hydrogen.

Recent supply chain issues, including due to COVID-19, have sparked renewed interest globally in the need to consider diversified supply and onshore manufacturing to meet future local demand for many products, including those critical to energy sector transition.

While there is interest in Australian manufacturing across levels of government and businesses in the PV value chain, there is currently no coordinated or sector-wide approach.

Action

The project will:

• establish current and projected local and international PV demand and manufacturing capacity.
• engage with partners across the PV sector to investigate technical, economic, business and policy options, opportunities and barriers.
• develop a set of recommendations for the next steps.

The project will produce a roadmap to establish diversified PV supply chains. The aim is to re-establish solar PV manufacturing in Australia where it is economically viable, relevant in scale and timely. The focus will be on providing Australia with a greater degree of control over the supply of solar PV technology than is currently the case. Opportunities for working with other jurisdictions to secure a diversified PV supply chain will also be discussed.

Outcome

The roadmap will highlight where Australian manufacturing could be globally competitive in the short and medium-term and/or where diversification of supply chains may be possible. It will assess the costs, technologies, materials, labour and site requirements at each step in the value chain, looking for a path to establish a solar manufacturing industry that meets the viable, relevant and timely criteria. The roadmap will also provide recommendations to industry and government stakeholders for potential future implementation to secure the supply of solar power generation for Australia’s transition to a renewable energy future.

Additional impact

The project will engage with a wide range of Australian and international stakeholders across industry, research institutions and government. It will assess Australia’s competitive advantages and work towards an Australian Solar PV Strategy. This will facilitate planning for the jobs and skills required, community input on siting, development of interest in both material input and product offtake, and other aspects essential to coordinated industry development.