On the eve of June 6 in a stately hotel conference room in Shanghai, 200 Chinese-based alumni of UNSW’s School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering (SPREE) gathered with peers, professors and ex-supervisors, and a pivotal new industry research partnership venture was launched: the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics (ACAP) Industry Consortium.
It was the last day of SNEC 2024 (Shanghai New Energy Conference), the world’s largest solar and smart energy trade show. The mammoth event attracts 500,000 visitors, 3,500 exhibitors and occupies 40 hectares of exhibition space (which is roughly the size of 20 MCG fields).
50 years of solar research at UNSW
UNSW’s SPREE holds this reunion every year during the SNEC conference, but this year was particularly special : 2024 marks 50 years since solar research started at UNSW with Martin Green, and 20 years since the first PV students graduated from SPREE.
UNSW has the largest alumni network in solar PV of any institute. All of China’s largest solar manufacturers were represented at the event. They mingled with Professor Martin Green, the inventor of the modern-day solar cell; Dr. Zhengrong Shi, one of UNSW’s most celebrated PhD students who took Green’s PERC solar cell technology to China and built the giant solar manufacturer Suntech Pty Ltd; and Professor Renate Egan, former CTO of Suntech and now Executive Director of the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, the national centre for solar PV research headquartered at UNSW.
Professor Renate Egan said, “SPREE alumni have created an amazing network which is turning out to be their greatest asset. The community, shared experience and link back to ACAP and to UNSW is invaluable and the annual reunion proves a terrific way to stay connected.”
The night included a signing ceremony of key industry partners to the newly formed Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics’ Industry Consortium, which will connect leading industry players with the latest in PV research, while keeping solar researchers up to date with industry developments and challenges.
AIKO and JA Solar became founding Consortium partners
Multi-billion-dollar solar manufacturers AIKO and JA Solar became founding industry partners on the night, with Canadian Solar, Huasun, LONGI Solar, Trina Solar and Sunman also signing up to an expression of interest.
Discussions are in progress with other industry partners from Australia, India and China to join this important initiative.
Egan says, “The ACAP Industry Consortium was established as a platform to connect the leading solar industry players with world class research opportunities, study programs and graduates.
ABOVE: The launch of the ACAP Industry Consortium saw AIKO and JA Solar become founding industry partners, with Canadian Solar, Huasun, LONGI Solar, Trina Solar and Sunman also signing up to an expression of interest. Pictured from left to right: Jessica Yajie Jiang (UNSW); Jian Sheng (AIKO); Guangchun Zhang (Canadian Solar): Wenjing Wang (Huasun); Zi Ouyang (JA Solar); Martin Green (UNSW); Tian Xie (Longi); Zhengrong Shi (Sunman); Zhiqiang Feng (Trina); and ACAP Executive Director Renate Egan (UNSW).
“It also acts to keep Australia’s leading researchers engaged and informed about industry progress and current and future challenges. Connections are made through regular communications, workshops, scholarship support, student internship opportunities and events.”
Professor Martin Green of UNSW, Chair of the Consortium, says, “As industry powers ahead in performance and cost with single junction silicon, interest is growing in research into what technology lies beyond silicon.”
With manufacturing at scale, Chinese solar companies have taken the production of single junction silicon solar cell technology close to its limit. Improving efficiencies beyond this ceiling will require changes in the material make-up of the cells, driving interest in multijunction cells such as tandems.
Large solar companies look to ACAP for next generation solar cells
Consortium partners are looking to ACAP’s collaborative research program to help discover the next generation of solar cell materials that will deliver higher efficiencies; that use non-toxic, abundant materials; and that won’t degrade for decades.
And for the current technology, there is interest in sustainability including material supply and recycling, as manufacturing moves to the scale needed to meet climate targets. In addition, rapid technology changes create research opportunities in in-field performance, reliability, and deployment for the current single junction silicon technologies.
The fundamental goal of ACAP’s national research program is defined by ARENA’s target to achieve 30 per cent module efficiency at an installed cost of 30 cents per watt by 2030.
Australia has proven, world-leading solar technology research capacity, and our alumni create effective connections with the leading Chinese solar companies. The international networks built through our universities pay dividends in finding mutually beneficial, global partnerships.
ACAP Centre Director, Renate Egan said “With energy from photovoltaics expected to deliver over 50% of the world’s electricity needs by 2050, solar is going to be a big part of our energy future. We are only just beginning.”
“The ACAP Industry Consortium will fast-track progress in solar technologies to help power clean economies here, and across the world.”
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