Australia leading world in printed solar panels

The Turnbull government is encouraging businesses, including printers, to get involved in developing printed solar panels for commercial use, describing Australia as a global leader in the market.

The federal government has previously invested $1.6m in a world-first project to develop cheaper, portable printed solar panels.   

The project is being developed through a partnership between Melbourne printing company Norwood Commercial, CSIRO and New South Wales-based start-up Solafast.

Minister for industry, innovation and science Greg Hunt says by supporting the project, the Turnbull government is tapping into a market estimated to be worth $250m a year.

“This is an exciting project which sees science partnering with industry to create jobs and growth potential for Australia,” minister Hunt says. 

“If successful, the two-year project will help to slash the cost of solar PV and create an environmentally responsible building material that does not compromise architectural integrity.”

Printed solar cells are made by printing ‘solar inks’ onto rolls of plastic film using industrial printing equipment. The resulting solar panels are thin, flexible and lightweight, so they can be incorporated into objects and structures in ways that conventional solar panels cannot.

Norwood operations manager Graham Dancey says because printed solar panels are lighter and can also be mass produced inexpensively compared to traditional silicone panels, they could potentially be shipped to areas where a natural disaster has occurred to help restore power. 

He says, “It is an Australian development, it has enormous potential benefits for Australia and the potential applications are broad.

“The technology is there but it just needs to be refined, we are prepared to put the time and effort into helping to refine that technology for the specific application.”

CSIRO Industrial Innovation’s group leader, Dr Fiona Scholes says commercial printing knowledge is an essential part of the mix.

“CSIRO provides the solar know-how while Norwood can take our printed electronics into the main-stream and create large-scale industrial volumes,” Dr Scholes says.

“Solafast’s innovative steel roll-forming technology completes the picture, allowing the solar cells to be incorporated into roof and external cladding products.”

In addition to a booming commercial solar market in Australia, the broader global market for printed electronics is expected to be worth $40bn a year by 2020.

 

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