Executive Director of the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics Professor Renate Egan is proud to launch ACAP 10 Years – Creating a pipeline of opportunities.
This public report showcases a selection of case studies and snapshots revealing the incredible success of the first ten years (2013-2023) of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)-funded Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics.
ACAP was established in 2013 to advance Australia’s leadership position in photovoltaics by bringing together the nation’s leading solar photovoltaic research institutions in a coordinated longer-term research program. ACAP's mission was to provide a pipeline of opportunities to increase solar PV performance increase and reduce costs. As the report shows, ACAP has been very successful in this mission.
In 2022 ARENA laid out its vision for Ultra Low Cost Solar. By 2030, ARENA wants commercial solar cells to hit 30% efficiency, up from 22% today. Additionally, it wants large scale full system costs (panels, inverters and transmission) to fall by 50% to 30 cents per watt. In achieving these ambitious goals, the cost of electricity would be as low as $15/MWhr, opening vast opportunities in green industrial processing, such as green- steel and green-ammonia.
To achieve these targets the research program at the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics (ACAP) has been extended out to 2030.
Inside ACAP 10 years readers will find ‘Snapshots’ of exceptional achievement and illustrative case studies showing outstanding success in Australian solar PV research and development across five focus areas:
Research – Creating pathways to increasing solar cell efficiencies that are also cheaper and greener.
Capacity building – Building a critical mass of expertise and empowering the next generation of PV engineers, scientists and innovators needed for the energy transition.
Emerging opportunities – Developing a pipeline of prospects in new technologies, manufacturing opportunities, and improving performance and reliability in large scale solar farms.
Infrastructure funding – Investing $28.7 million in cutting edge tools and laboratory facilities across the member institutions to fast-track discovery.
Ultra-low-cost solar – Committing to the research and development needed for Australia to become a renewable energy superpower.
In the last 10 years, ACAP has built upon Australia’s remarkable track record in photovoltaics. With the critical mass it has fostered, ACAP and its member institutions and industry partners are closer to delivering the ultra-low-cost solar that will power a net zero energy future and bolster Australia’s capability to become a renewable energy superpower.
Download ACAP 10 Years – Creating a pipeline of opportunities (PDF).
Preview ACAP 10 Years – Creating a pipeline of opportunities (flip book).