ARENA offers USD 15m for PV research

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) on Tuesday unveiled a AUD-20-million (USD 15m/EUR 13.3m) funding round for solar photovoltaic (PV) research and development (R&D).

The agency is looking to support Australian researchers working on emerging and established PV cell and module technologies. It is seeking research projects that could lower the cost of materials or improve performance that will reduce costs or increase efficiency, explained ARENA chief executive Ivor Frischknecht.

The funding round, which will open from May 24 to June 21, is expected to award grants of between AUD 500,000 and AUD 5 million per project.

This is ARENA's third competitive R&D funding round. Since 2012, the agency has committed AUD 109.3 million to PV R&D projects, fellowships and scholarships.

"By continuing to support innovation in solar PV, we believe that solar power could produce more than 30 per cent of Australia’s electricity within 15 years," Frischknecht said.

(AUD 1 = USD 0.750/EUR 0.667)

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