Related article: ARENA spruiks huge potential of ultra low-cost solar

The design and piloting of first and second-generation prototype robots has the potential to reduce piling time and labour costs by approximately 82% and 88% respectively, increasing installation efficiency and safety.

“Australia is a technology hub for renewable energy, and Built Robotics is honoured to be working with ARENA to continue inventing better ways of building solar farms,” Built Robotics general manager and VP of business development Paul Kelly said.

“By helping to automate the most repetitive and difficult tasks on jobsites, Built’s robots aim to lower the cost of energy, accelerate construction and provide safer working conditions for skilled workers.”

ARENA is looking to reduce the installed cost of a solar project to just 30c per watt and reach a levelised cost of electricity below $20/MWh by 2030. This could help unlock a total installed capacity of 1TW of solar PV by 2050.

Related article: How ultra low-cost solar will unlock our superpower vision

The Built Robotics project is an example of the innovative ideas that ARENA expects to support through its $100 million Solar ScaleUp Challenge.

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Having served as chair of ARENA’s board for two previous terms, Punch has overseen significant growth at ARENA, and has been instrumental in the development of key funding programs including Hydrogen Headstart and Community Batteries Round 1.

Related article: Alinga’s Ruby Heard on equity through energy

Ruby Heard and Dr Dean Travers are joining the ARENA board for the first time.

Heard is a descendent of the Jaru people of the Kimberley, an electrical engineer and founding director of Alinga Energy Consulting, providing energy research services with a focus on affordable and sustainable off-grid systems to improve the livelihoods for Indigenous communities, and brings considerable experience in the building services and energy space.

Dr Travers has more than 25 years of experience in the energy sector across global markets in mergers and acquisitions, deal structuring, project development and operations and maintenance. He has worked across Europe, North America, Asia and Australia to develop conventional and renewable energy projects for global energy firms.

ARENA CEO Darren Miller welcomed Heard and Travers to the board, saying their experience and expertise in the energy sector will enhance its existing board and guide ARENA as it facilitates the clean energy transition.

“The ARENA board is gaining some incredible talent in Ms Heard and Dr Travers,” he said.

“ARENA is committed to ensuring First Nations People are at the forefront of the energy transition and Ms Heard’s work as Director of Alinga Energy Consulting and on the Steering Committee of the First Nations Clean Energy Network will provide an invaluable perspective for our work.”

“Dr Travers brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in working on renewable energy projects around the world that will not only help with ARENA funded projects, but also open up global collaboration opportunities,” Mr Miller said.

ARENA’s Board has overall responsibility for the operations of the agency. It is a skills-based decision-making body, responsible for recommending the Agency’s annual general funding strategy to the Minister, setting investment priorities, overseeing the running of the organisation and approving project funding.

Related article: Darren Miller reappointed for third term as ARENA CEO

ARENA also thanks its outgoing board members, Anna Matysek and John Hirjee, who have both served on ARENA’s Board for two terms.

“I’d like to thank Anna and John for their time and contributions to ARENA. Their skills and expertise along the way have helped pave the way forward for us. I wish them well in their next endeavours.” Mr Miller said.

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Related article: Solar set to leave nuclear and everything else in the shade

SunSolve Yield was created in 2019 in partnership with Cypress Creek Renewables in a research project funded by the United States Department of Energy. It has been used to more accurately predict the performance of solar trackers, as demonstrated in studies led by Array Technologies, CFV Labs, Cypress Creek, PVEL and FTC Solar.

SunSolve Yield provides a digital twin of the structures and photovoltaic (PV) modules used in utility-scale solar projects. Developers rely on SunSolve Yield to rapidly answer design questions that would previously have taken months to investigate and days to compute.

The high level of detail in the SunSolve Yield model means that developers can have greater confidence in their yield forecasts for both internal and project financing purposes.

PV Lighthouse and SunSolve founder and CEO Keith McIntosh said, “Before SunSolve existed, developers did not have a modelling solution that could accurately represent their structures and modules.

“This meant they had to guesstimate several of the loss factors required for their yield forecasts. Now developers can rapidly calculate these factors with SunSolve, giving them greater confidence in their forecasts—a key advantage when negotiating project financing.”

“ARENA’s investment in SunSolve Yield is an endorsement of the innovation and value that SunSolve delivers to the global solar industry. With the ARENA funding and support from our industry partners, we’ll continue to increase the accuracy of those forecasts which ultimately reduces the cost of financing a solar project.”

Related article: Research breakthrough could lead to ‘self-healing’ solar cells

The funding from ARENA will allow PV Lighthouse to accelerate the development of SunSolve Yield through the hiring of additional researchers and programmers.

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Barwon Water aims to investigate the use of pure oxygen produced as a byproduct of electrolysis to treat water more efficiently at its Northern Water Plant in Geelong and reduce wastewater treatment plant emissions.

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Barwon Water’s project will highlight how renewable hydrogen producers and wastewater treatment players can work together to decarbonise, illustrating mutually beneficial opportunities between sectors through the clean energy transition.

Conducted over two stages, ARENA’s funding will support Barwon Water to first conduct a front-end engineering and design study to determine the technical and commercial feasibility of using pure oxygen captured from an electrolyser in its wastewater treatment process, which currently employs an oxygen-based aerobic treatment process.

Oxygen will be sourced from Viva Energy’s new hydrogen refuelling station at the nearby Viva Energy Hub, which is deploying a 2.5-megawatt electrolyser.

Importantly, outcomes of this project will also help to quantify a potential ancillary revenue stream for renewable hydrogen producers through the sale of oxygen, which may otherwise be discarded.

There are more than 1,200 wastewater treatment plants operating in Australia which contribute more than 2.95 million tonnes of CO2e to Australia’s emissions. Insights gained from this project, including increased understanding of approval pathways and required interfaces, as well as potential capital and operating savings, have the potential to lead to innovative improvements throughout the sector.

Related article: A close look at Jemena and Sydney Water’s Malabar Biomethane project

Barwon Water managing director Shaun Cumming said, “We’re excited to explore the beneficial use of pure oxygen as a byproduct of renewable hydrogen production at the Viva Energy Hub hydrogen refuelling station. It’s an exciting opportunity to reduce emissions from wastewater treatment.

“We look forward to building on the benefits of Viva Energy’s new service station project with this investment and sharing the potential benefits for wastewater treatment with the water sector.”

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All states, and the Northern Territory, are expected to benefit from this program, unlocking an expected $359 million of investment in renewable energy infrastructure.

Related article: Australia’s first co-located community battery and EV charger

Once online, the batteries will have a tangible impact on local network constraints and will expand rooftop solar capacity, reduce emissions and reduce electricity costs for consumers.

The range of energy consumers that will benefit from these batteries include households, hospitals, schools and tertiary education institutions, council facilities, housing developments, social and community housing, sports facilities, libraries, aquatic centres, shopping centres, and regional and remote communities.

ARENA CEO Darren Miller said community batteries would enhance energy resilience, reliability and sustainability while bringing down energy costs for consumers and businesses.

“ARENA is pleased to support the roll out of these batteries through our transformative program which will have a significant impact upon Australia’s energy and grid security while delivering cleaner and more cost-effective energy for our communities,” he said.

“We are encouraged to see this important asset class being demonstrated at such a scale and expect that this funding round will kick start the neighbourhood-scale storage sector.”

ARENA received a strong response under Round 1, with 140 eligible Expressions of Interest received. Funding has now been conditionally allocated to 21 applications (from 20 applicants); 10 applications requesting $67.3 million under Stream A Distribution Network Service Providers (DNSPs), and 11 applications requesting $75.7 million under Stream B Non-DNSPs.

Related article: Endeavour Energy’s Kiama Community Battery goes live

The batteries will have an aggregated storage capacity of up to 281MWh, which will enable storage and use of renewable electricity generated across Australian communities. ARENA will contribute up to $0.51/Wh in grant funding against an average cost of $1.28/Wh (39.8%).

ARENA expects to launch a second round of community battery funding in late 2024, with a funding allocation of at least $28 million.

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The Bexley North community battery will support local power reliability, enable more homes to enjoy the benefits of solar panels and put downward pressure on energy bills by feeding back into the grid at peak times.

Related article: Ausgrid switches on new community battery in Warriewood

In an Australian first, this battery is also connected to an electric vehicle (EV) charger, so local residents and visitors alike can utilise the solar generated in their area to charge their cars.

Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said it would play an important role in helping households access cleaner, cheaper energy and increasing grid resilience.

“It’s incredibly exciting to deliver a community battery for Bexley North today, our Reliable Renewables plan is bringing cleaner, cheaper reliable renewable energy to communities across the country,” Minister Bowen said.

Ausgrid CEO Marc England said batteries act as a sponge during the day absorbing solar generation and then feed that back to the network during peak times.

“Community batteries not only facilitate a more equitable journey to net-zero but they create a more stable grid putting downward pressure on energy costs,” England said.

“Under this ARENA program, the batteries will be up to 5MW in size, cover more customers, support more solar, and reduce cost and community impact.”

Under the Community Batteries Funding Round 1 program, conditional on executing a funding agreement with ARENA, Ausgrid is aiming to deploy a portfolio of batteries up to 5MW.

Community batteries are flexible and scalable energy solutions that benefit both the local communities and the wider energy system.

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Delivered in partnership with Bayside Council, the 267kWh community battery is Ausgrid’s eighth within its network. The EV charger co-located with the battery will also offer one-month free charging.

The battery has been wrapped in custom artwork created by local First Nations artist Amanda Longbottom, titled On Country.

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ARENA is providing a total of $1.98 million in grants directly to 10 businesses that are looking to contribute to Australia’s emissions reduction targets by deploying renewable technologies novel ways.

Related article: ARENA opens funding round for industrial decarbonisation

The grants, awarded as part of ARENA’s work to drive industrial decarbonisation, will support businesses to undertake feasibility studies. ARENA will work with industry to share valuable knowledge generated from these studies.

ARENA has announced the following grants:

• $399,503 for G&K O’Connor to achieve comprehensive decarbonisation for a meat processing facility in Pakenham, Vic.
• $110,000 for Paper Australia to investigate using a deep-bore geothermal heating system at a barramundi farm in Maryvale, Vic.
• $149,850 for Unilever to develop a decarbonisation roadmap for three factories across NSW and Victoria.
• $242,924 for George Weston Food to modernise refrigeration infrastructure at a smallgoods facility in Castlemaine, Vic.
• $117,515 for Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water to optimise system operations across water pipelines in Western Victoria.
• $116,397 for Brown Family Wine Group to investigate the requirements for low emissions and energy efficiency technologies at a winery in Milawa, Vic.
• $205,000 for Beston Global Food Company for site-wide energy efficiency and electrification projects at its cheese plant in Jervois, SA.
• $250,400 for Real Pet Food to consider a heat energy recovery system at pet food manufacturing sites in Qld and NSW.
• $244,677 for Quantem to improve energy efficiency and examine electrification options across its operations.
• $147,800 for Bindaree Beef to investigate biomass processing options to harness energy from waste and a meat processing facility in Inverell, NSW.

“Meeting Australia’s emissions reduction targets will require businesses in Australia’s most energy intensive industries making actionable plans to incorporate renewables in their operations,” ARENA CEO Darren Miller said.

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“The grants we’ve announced today are for businesses eager to get on the front foot, looking to deploy renewable energy technologies in new ways.”

ARENA’s industrial decarbonisations programs include the $400 million Industrial Transformation Stream (ITS) and the $40 million National Industrial Transformation (NIT) Program.

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Freight and logistics provider ANC will use the funding to unlock the $45.5 million Project Spark, which will address barriers in electrifying the truck owner-driver segment to further drive fleet decarbonisation.

Related article: Report shows credible transport decarbonisation beyond EVs 

ARENA CEO Darren Miller said Project Spark marked ARENA’s first foray into LMD and builds on the agency’s investments in the electrification of buses, and road freight and logistics.

“The breadth of innovation in Project Spark, across both supply and demand-side measures, is commercially astute, practically workable, and very exciting, he said.

“It promises to kick-start a step change in electrifying last mile delivery in Australia by lowering the total costs to own and run electric trucks.

“The project demonstrates use cases for battery electric trucks in last mile operations, tackling constraints that have so far made it hard for the industry to transition away from internal combustion engine vehicles,” he said.

ANC manages a network of contracted owner-drivers to provide LMD services to some of Australia’s most iconic retail brands, including IKEA, JB HI-FI, The Good Guys, Bunnings, Who Gives A Crap, Temple and Webster, and William Sonoma.

Currently, owner-drivers considering BEV trucks face higher capital costs, limited access to charging infrastructure, costly and complex private charging options, and constrained revenue potential.

ANC designed Project Spark to leverage commercial and technological levers to lower the total cost of ownership (TCO) of BEV trucks for owner-drivers, supported by a range of partners including CarBon, Origin Energy, SpotLumos and others.

ANC’s proposal to offer discounted trucks with leasing options, improve battery-charging and vehicle-utilisation models, and unlock new revenue streams aims to resolve these challenges.

Related article: New EV recap shows record year for electric transport

Project Spark’s charging model couples Origin Energy’s overnight charging-as-a-service (CaaS) from home with fast-charging services at depots and in the public to enable owner-drivers to meet LMD requirements.

ANC CEO Joe Sofra said, “This grant from ARENA is a vote of confidence in ANC’s vision for a cleaner, greener future. With this support, we will expedite the deployment of battery electric vehicles, reducing emissions and leading the charge towards a net zero emissions delivery ecosystem.”

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Through this Australian-first residential trial, Amber is developing a software solution to facilitate BEV smart charging and V2G bi-directional charging for its residential customers, including the installation of 100 smart chargers and 50 V2G chargers into participants’ homes.

Related article: South Australia leads on vehicle to grid capability 

Amber co-CEO Dan Adams said V2G and smart charging technology has the potential to be one of the most groundbreaking technologies to enter the Australian energy sector.

“This technology represents a transformative leap for energy storage in Australia, and the energy system as a whole. By integrating electric vehicles with the grid and the wholesale energy market, we can reduce costs for consumers whilst accelerating the transition to renewable energy,” Adams said.

“Our customers will be able to directly compete with big coal and gas generators just by smart charging and discharging their EV battery. This innovation not only strengthens our energy infrastructure but also aligns with a commitment to a sustainable future.”

Amber’s project will demonstrate the effectiveness of their wholesale electricity cost pass-through model when paired with optimised use of BEV chargers, rooftop solar and home batteries to increase customer savings and enable greater utilisation of renewable energy at times when it is generated.

Insights gained through the project may inform policy across Australia and encourage other industry participants to follow in Amber’s efforts.

The ARENA-funded V2X.au Summary Report (delivered by enX) highlights that the proper implementation of V2G infrastructure, when complemented with supportive network tariffs, can have significant benefits for consumers.

The report also considers that bidirectional EV charging is potentially one of the largest and lowest cost sources of energy storage.

Related article: Horizon Power trial to test vehicle-to-grid charging potential

Amber’s $7.7 million project will provide insight into the scalability of its initiative, potentially further supporting grid stability and reaching more consumers.

As part of the project, enX will lead an independent verification of Amber’s modelling to confirm potential customer savings and assess the ability for smart charging and V2G to support grid stability and the renewable transition.

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The aim of the challenge is to stimulate greater innovation and collaboration in the solar sector—particularly in installation, operations and maintenance—enabling ARENA to realise its Ultra Low-Cost Solar (ULCS) vision.

Related article: ARENA spruiks huge potential of ultra low-cost solar 

ARENA CEO Darren Miller said the large-scale deployment of solar is key to the clean energy transition and in achieving global decarbonisation.

“Ultra low-cost solar is critical for reducing electricity costs and decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors such as industry and transport. It is also a key factor in Australia becoming a renewable energy superpower, a vision which would see Australia playing a major role in supplying our key trading partners with low emissions products such as green iron and hydrogen.

“Collaboration in solar is key to reducing costs and maintaining Australia’s leading role in the development and innovation of solar technologies. We are aiming to bring together leaders across Australia and the world to tackle the challenges presented in our quest for even cheaper renewable energy through this critical technology,” Miller said.

The challenge is being delivered in collaboration with Greenhouse Tech, whose innovative online platform is designed to facilitate the formation of multi-disciplinary teams and support collaboration on a global scale.

Related article: Consultation opens for Australia’s $1B Solar Sunshot program

ARENA is looking to reduce the installed cost of a solar project to just 30 cents per watt and reach a levelised cost of electricity below $20 per megawatt hour by 2030. This could help unlock a total installed capacity of 1 terawatt by 2050.

The Solar ScaleUp Challenge is open for eight weeks and is expected to complement the Solar Sunshot program by building a pipeline of solar PV innovation that can be adopted by manufacturers along the supply chain and project developers.

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As part of an Australian-first trial, local street side power poles have been turned into charging stations for EVs. The project is being led by Intellihub, supported by Northern Beaches Council, and with funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

Related article: New streetlight EV charger being trialled in regional NSW

Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins said, “The Northern Beaches is one of the fastest growing areas for EV ownership and we are working with industry partners to make sure there are enough local charging stations to keep pace with demand.

“This wonderful initiative is making EV charging more accessible for people living in apartments, townhouses or units with no onsite EV charging options. We expect it will encourage more people to make the switch from petrol and diesel powered vehicles to electric.

“We continue to encourage all our residents to consider making the switch. Together, we can reach our target of a 30% reduction in vehicle emissions by 2038.”

The Northern Beaches is one of eight local councils taking part in the Intellihub EV Streetside Charging Project.

The 22kW chargers have been installed at:
• Ashburner Street, Manly
• West Promenade, Manly
• Anzac Avenue, Collaroy
• Blackbutts Road (opposite Malbara Crescent), Frenchs Forest
• Yulong Avenue, Terrey Hills
• Allambie Road, Allambie Heights
• Dearin Reserve (opposite 13 Kalinya Street), Newport

The community was involved in deciding the best locations for the trial. Council received 429 responses from the community, with overall support for the project.

The EV charges are connected to the overhead electricity supply, and the energy use is matched with 100% accredited GreenPower. For all the energy required to charge electric vehicles, the equivalent amount of certified renewable energy is put back into the grid.

Intellihub CEO Wes Ballantine said EV drivers would be able to drive up, park and charge at any of the charging sites via the Exploren App.

“A typical EV can get more than 200km of driving from a two-hour charge at any of these sites,” Ballantine said.

“The new chargers are displayed on all public EV charging maps, so every EV driver, whether they live here or are just visiting, will know they can more easily charge their EV on the Northern Beaches.

Related article: Intellihub drives Australia’s largest flexible demand trial

“We’re very pleased to be working with Northern Beaches Council on such an important project.”

If the 12-month trial is successful more poles could be rolled out across the country.

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Related article: Intellihub drives Australia’s largest flexible demand trial

The federal government is delivering over $4.48 million in grants to United Energy and Birdwood Business Energy to conduct voluntary flexible demand trials in Victoria.

As power generation from variable energy sources like wind and solar grows, it is more important than ever to match demand to supply. Flexible demand eases pressure on the grid during peak periods, reducing peak demand and energy costs.

United Energy will receive $3.54 million for its $8 million Flexible Services Trial project, which will use smart technology to efficiently manage hot water load, rooftop solar exports and customer devices.

Birdwood will receive $942,944 to develop a $2.58 million Load Flexibility Report Card Platform, which will provide businesses with data to support decision-making on flexible demand activities.

Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Jenny McAllister said, “The energy in our grid is increasingly renewable. By investing in smart tech for flexible demand, we’re making sure the grid is stable and meets the needs of consumers and market.”

The trial by United Energy, in partnership with CitiPower and Powercor, presents an opportunity for Victoria to fast-track the scaling up of opt-in flexible management of hot water and other consumer devices.

Related article: AGL trials flexible demand in commercial/industrial sector

Birdwood’s project, to be supported by solar installers and energy efficiency experts, is expected to reduce the cost of identifying demand flexibility for commercial energy users by more than 50%.

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ARENA, in consultation with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), will design the program, which aims to accelerate the development of Australia’s solar manufacturing industry.

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ARENA has published a consultation paper outlining a proposed structure for the program that could see the program delivered through a series of funding rounds supporting targeted stages of the supply chain.

Under the program, production-linked payments are proposed to be the primary form of financial support. ARENA will also, informed by consultation, assess how capital grant funding or other forms of concessional support can be used to complement production-linked payments to achieve the program objectives.

ARENA will be accepting written submissions through online forms on the Sunshot webpage and hosting two consultation webinars.

ARENA CEO Darren Miller said the consultation process would help ARENA to determine the best approach for delivering the $1 billion package.

“ARENA will be working closely with industry to design a program that supports innovative and competitive solar PV manufacturing that is critical to securing Australia’s role in the transition to a net zero world,” Miller said.

“The scale at which solar needs to be deployed to meet our climate targets means that we cannot rely solely on importing solar panels from overseas. Australia can drive a greater role in PV production to make our supply chain less vulnerable.

“We’ll be using our deep industry connections and over a decade of experience accelerating Australia’s shift to renewables to ensure the program delivers for industry, communities and all Australians.

Related article: Rooftop solar makes up 11.2% of Australia’s electricity supply

“There is a credible pathway for building a solar manufacturing industry in Australia. A collaborative and committed approach from government and the private sector gives us the best chance at tackling this challenge.”

The consultation remains open until 31 May 2024. Click here for more information about the program.

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The funding has been provided to research teams from some of Australia’s top universities, research organisations, startups and companies.

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ARENA CEO Darren Miller said funding early-stage R&D and pushing innovation was at the core of ARENA’s mission in supporting the global transition to net zero emissions.

“We’re backing Australian technological innovation that helps build our clean industries and underpins our ambitions of becoming a renewable energy superpower.”

An initial $25 million in funding was provided for each of the two funding rounds— Renewable Hydrogen and Iron and Steel. Due to the quality of applications, ARENA has increased the total funding amount to $59.1 million. Grant funding for each successful applicant ranges between $1.3 million and $5 million.

Funding for the R&D projects will be provided over two stages, an initial core research stage followed by a research commercialisation stage aimed at scaling up and demonstrating application of research breakthroughs in the market.

“ARENA has a strong track record in funding and supporting early-stage innovation. Through our strategic priorities, we have highlighted the importance of renewable hydrogen and low emissions metals growing to become a significant export industry,” Miller said.

“Innovation starts in the lab, and we have the best minds taking our decarbonisation efforts to the next level—to the benefit of all Australians through jobs, lower emissions and cheaper energy.”

Related article: Nextracker and Orrcon Steel partner on Aussie-made solar tracker components

Australia is the world’s largest exporter of iron ore, supplying up to 53% of international exports each year. Decarbonisation through the iron & steel value chain will have a significant impact on global emissions reduction.

The successful recipients across both R&D funding rounds can be found here.

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