Australia's solar manufacturing boosted with Solar Sunshot

The first round of funding in the Australian Government’s Solar Sunshot Program was announced over the weekend.?

The Program is aligned with the Australian Government Future Made in Australia policy agenda and the Community Benefit Principles, which are focused on investment in local communities, supply chains and skills, and the promotion of diverse workforces and secure jobs.?

Administered by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), the $1 billion fund will support projects that invest in the people, communities and regions that will drive solar PV supply chains, as well as the broader net zero transition.?

?Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: “I want a future made in Australia. And I want a future made in our regions. Places like Hunter, Gladstone, Rockhampton and the Spencer Gulf.??

"Because Australia can do what other countries cannot. We have that combination of resources, skills, workers, space and sunlight to co-located those links in the value chain.?

“Solar Sunshot is about building on those strong foundations, building resilience into Australia’s renewable energy supply chains, and building a Future Made In Australia.”?

The Community Benefit Principles are designed to ensure that the benefits of investment flow to local workers, industries and communities.?

Today, one in three Australian households have solar – the highest take-up in the world – yet only one per cent of those solar panels have been made in Australia.?

Of the first round of funding, $500 million is set aside to support innovation in solar panel manufacturing and $50 million for solar PV manufacturing studies, including feasibility and engineering.?

These technologies are critical to Australia’s energy security through the net zero transformation.?

Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said:?“Diverse, secure and resilient supply chains – supported by more onshore manufacturing across more of the value chain – are too important to our security and success to leave to hope.?

“Now is the time to take advantage of some of the best solar resources and renewable energy expertise in the world.”?

ARENA says it will announce future funding rounds under the Solar Sunshot Program from mid 2025.??

For more information and to apply for funding, visit https://arena.gov.au/funding/solar-sunshot/??