The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced $21.5 million in funding for 12 research and development projects ranging from enhancing existing technologies to advancing emerging technologies in solar photovoltaics (PV), solar thermal and solar storage.

Parliamentary Secretary for Industry Bob Baldwin announced the funding at an ARENA event at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). The R&D aims to keep Australia at the forefront of solar research.

“These are the top 12 projects from a very competitive round where 110 applications were received, peer-reviewed and ranked against one another,” ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht said.

“The research will complement ARENA’s existing suite of solar projects, which is already delivering more efficient technologies and helping to reduce costs associated with the deployment of renewable energy in Australia.”

The projects will total $70 million after contributions from domestic and international partners. ARENA’s R&D portfolio has been designated $300 million between 2013 and 2022 but unfortunately the organisation has also had its fair share of political attacks which plan to shut it down.

All 12 of the projects are run by the UNSW, CSIRO, Australian National University (ANU) and University of Technology, Sydney (UTS).

“UNSW is seeking to develop an innovative tandem solar cell using perovskite, an emerging material that can be paired with silicon to produce solar panels that could be cheaper and more efficient than conventional silicon-only panels,” Mr Frischknecht said.

“CSIRO plans to leverage its solar thermal know-how to design an heliostat mirror and control system that would enable cost-effective deployment of central-tower solar thermal installations, potentially opening a new domestic market.”

“ANU is working with Australian solar cell manufacturer Tindo Solar to optimise solar modules for Australia’s unique and demanding conditions, providing a competitive edge in the domestic market.”

“UTS is developing improved renewable energy storage using lithium-sulfur batteries, currently the most promising and cost-effective technology for large-scale energy storage.”

Click here to see the 12 projects and their funding amounts.