The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced $34.5 million in funding to support Tindo to scale up domestic production of solar PV.
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Tindo, Australia’s only solar module manufacturer, will use the funding to upgrade its Mawson Lakes facility in South Australia, scaling its annual output from 20MW to 180MW, introducing advanced automation and expanding its product range to include premium N-type solar modules.
The project also includes a feasibility study for a future gigafactory capable of producing 1GW of solar panels annually.
Tindo CEO Richard Petterson said the funding was a strategic and targeted way to sustainably boost Australian solar PV manufacturing.
“With targeted support over the next seven years, we’ll be able to scale up production at our Mawson Lakes facility to a more efficient and cost-effective model,” Petterson said.
“That means lower prices, broader market reach and maintaining the high-quality Australian-made panels we’re known for.”
ARENA has also awarded further $11 million to support feasibility studies for upstream solar manufacturing, including:
- $5 million to Solquartz for its Townsville Green Polysilicon Feasibility Study into a 100,000tpa low-emission, solar-grade polysilicon production facility close to Townsville, Queensland.
- $1.3 million to Energus for its Feasibility Study for a 50,000 tpa low-emissions, solar-grade polysilicon production facility at AGL’s Hunter Energy Hub.
- $4.7 million to Stellar PV for its Feasibility Study for a 2 GW low-emissions polysilicon ingot pulling and wafering facility close to Townsville, Queensland.
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These studies will explore local production of polysilicon, ingots and wafers, which are critical components in solar panel manufacturing.
