Despite missing the initial opportunity to build a domestic solar manufacturing industry, Australia now stands at a pivotal moment.
Tindo Solar‘s CEO Richard Petterson outlines how the nation can reclaim its leadership in solar technology through bold investments, including the development of a cutting-edge gigafactory.
Despite being the birthplace of solar photovoltaic technology, Australia missed the early opportunity to establish a manufacturing industry.
While other countries, particularly China invested, Australia imported its panels, depending on international suppliers to power our energy transition and missing out on the jobs and economic benefits a domestic industry would have brought.
Yet, the energy transition is just getting started. And solar deployment is set to skyrocket in the coming decades, with Australian Energy Market Operator’s Integrated System Plan forecasting rooftop solar alone to increase threefold by 2050.
The importance of solar to the energy transition can’t be overstated and that gives us a second chance to develop a solar manufacturing industry in Australia – and ensure more of the benefits of the renewables revolution stay onshore.
With State and Federal Governments waking up to this fact and committing to invest in scaling the industry, we have a unique chance to reinvent and reestablish Australia’s position in solar manufacturing.
Since 2011, Tindo has been producing high-quality, Australian-made solar panels.
Over the years, we’ve refined our processes and developed products specifically engineered to withstand Australia’s harsh weather conditions.
We are proud to be Australia’s sole solar panel manufacturer, a position we do not take lightly.
And this position gives us the privilege to move forward with plans to build Australia’s first solar panel gigafactory.
While this is ambitious, it’s an equally critical step that can drive us towards reclaiming our technological heritage and stimulating economic growth and innovation.
Thankfully, the government has also recognised the opportunity – and the risk of not acting now – with its Solar Sunshot program, which provides $1 billion to support PV manufacturing.
The government’s commitment to scaling up solar energy is a critical step towards addressing the urgent need for a robust domestic manufacturing sector, with the ambitious goal of producing 20 per cent of the nation’s future solar panel demand locally.
Currently, Tindo’s manufacturing facility in Adelaide has a capacity to produce 150 megawatts of panels per annum. Our proposition to scale up to 1 gigawatt (GW) would be a game changer in Australia’s solar manufacturing landscape.
The gigafactory, with an estimated investment of $90-100 million, will produce around 7,000 high-quality panels daily. We also anticipate $300 million in annual economic activity, with the capacity to scale our workforce from 65 to around 300.
This means transforming the local industry, local communities and local economies.
The ambition to significantly increase our domestic production capacity is dependent on more than just building a gigafactory. On a larger scale, it requires overhauling our supply chain infrastructure.
Historically, sourcing essential materials, like aluminium frames and glass, domestically has presented significant challenges. However at 1GW scale, we will have the volume that will attract Australian manufacturers of those components to become suppliers, creating further benefits across the value chain.
Our recently announced partnership with Australian firm Capral Aluminium is just the first example of this.
We are exploring other opportunities to source other materials from local suppliers – and we’re looking forward to seeing how Sunshot can support the whole supply chain.
As well as strengthening the local supply chain, we want Tindo and Australia to once again be at the forefront of solar innovation.
We have forged partnerships with leading educational institutions including the University of New South Wales, the University of Adelaide, and the University of South Australia.
These collaborations are crucial for driving innovation within the renewable energy sector and commercialising cutting-edge advancements.
These strategic partnerships are essential for optimising our supply chain and supporting the launch of innovative solar modules like the Walara Series — one of the first of its kind in Australia.
Engineered and manufactured locally, the Walara Series introduces n-type and bifacial technologies, which are new to Australian manufacturing.
The path forward is clear: embracing domestic production is crucial to meeting our green energy targets.
Tindo’s proposed gigafactory represents an ambitious first step, but success is dependent on ensuring that our supply chains are robust enough to meet the growing demands of our country.
Starting with our Adelaide factory and supported by our gigafactory, we can see a bright future for solar manufacturing and the supply chain in Australia.
For more renewable and solar news, subscribe to ecogeneration.