The ACT’s renewable energy sector has received a funding boost

Organisation

Funding amount

Project

PV Lab Australia

$214,374

R2: Reduce and Reuse - Keeping PV panels out of waste streams

This project will reduce photovoltaic panels going to landfill. It will do this by addressing causes of panel degradation and barriers to reuse. The project will look at the cause, scale and solutions to panels breaking down in high-humidity climates. Solutions for reusing panels through refurbishment, monitoring and viability assessment will be considered.

Spark3D

$254,184

Advanced additive manufacturing of next-gen photovoltaics

Spark3D will develop advanced additive manufacturing techniques for the fabrication and scale-up of next-generation photovoltaics and batteries with its 3D printing technology.

The project will reduce the waste and embodied energy associated with photovoltaics fabrication. It will demonstrate reversible fabrication of electronics. This then enables solar cell manufacturing to become circular. This capability will be available to leading scientists, engineers, and innovators in the ACT to accelerate the commercialisation of renewable energy technology.

Hydrogen Renewable Energy Australia (HYREA)

$253,552

On-site and on-demand green hydrogen production

HYREA’s technology allows for rapid on-site and on-demand green hydrogen production. This method makes hydrogen easy to transport, store and safe to handle. HYREA will develop a proof-of-concept hydrogen fuel-cell electric boat. This boat will also have on-board hydrogen production facilities. The project will showcase the benefits of green hydrogen to a wide array of industries. Potential applications include shipping and commercial fishing.

Zeppelin Bend

$250,000

Community Energy Opportunity Toolkit

Community batteries can provide a range of benefits to the grid. The challenge is identifying the specific locations where constraints exist. This project will develop a web-based tool to identify, prioritise, and analyse network constraints. This will enable locations for high-value distribution network-connected battery projects to be mapped. Once identified, these locations maximise the value available to battery projects. This brings forward the cross-over point for project economics and accelerates the energy transition.

Flex-G

$180,000

Revolutionising battery lifespan through enhanced thermal management

The performance demands on large battery energy storage systems are always increasing. Extending the lifetime of battery systems is critical for many potential infrastructure projects. This is due to the high upfront cost of deploying systems and limited end-of-life options for recycling. One of the batteries' primary degradation mechanisms is insufficient thermal control. Flex-G will adapt its nano-coolant technology for application in battery technology to limit thermal shocks. Flex-G will simulate realistic conditions of batteries' life cycles to demonstrate improved safety, stability and longevity.

Aqacia

$82,341

PV 4.0

Aqacia has developed a proof-of-concept for applying machine learning image recognition and classification to the quality control of solar panels. The technology is on the cusp of commercial readiness. The next step is deployment into real, operational environments with initial trial customers.

The project will take the existing proof-of-concept to commercial trials. The machine learning tools will be deployed into workflows which currently rely on human assessment. Aqacia will realise faster, cheaper and more consistent quality assurance of PV production. The project will then serve as a demonstration to export this ACT-created solution globally.