The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced funding to support research into cost efficiency and end-of-life disposal issues for solar panels.
Chief Executive of ARENA, Darren Miller said that as the rate of solar panel deployment increased, innovations that could reduce the cost of sustainably managing panels at the end of their life would become more important.
He said the funding would support projects that could improve the economics of recycling, such as increasing the value of recovered materials or innovations for re-using reused or recycled components in new panels.
“Cost savings will enable both large-scale solar panel projects and roof-top panel customers to responsibly manage their waste, without significantly impacting the overall cost of renewable electricity generation,” Mr Miller said.
“In addition to end-of-life issues, the funding round will also aim to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of solar for new or established applications.”
He said that currently, solar panel recycling added a cost to the supply chain.
“The funding round also aims to build on Australia’s excellence in solar panel research and development to increase efficiencies and drive down costs even further and help bring about the next generation in solar technology,” Mr Miller said.
“More efficient and lower cost solar can underpin the growth of a renewable hydrogen industry, can drive the electrification of transport and industrial processes, and can reduce the costs of delivering secure and reliable renewable electricity.”
He said that ARENA had provided more than $290 million to around 300 solar research and development projects since 2009.
