Printed Solar Technology Among Winners Of AUD 26.2 Million Grant

New South Wales (NSW), Australia, has awarded AUD 26.2 million ($17 million) in Clean Technology Innovation Grants to support the commercialization of 13 innovative projects. Among the recipients is Kardinia Energy, recognized for its printed solar technology showcased during Coldplay’s world tour (see Kardinia Powers Coldplay Concerts With Recyclable Printed Solar).  

Kardinia Energy has secured AUD 2.25 million ($1.46 million) in this round to establish the world’s 1st commercial manufacturing facility for its lightweight, flexible, and recyclable printed solar technology.  

These solar modules are printed using wine label-making machinery and feature ultra-thin organic photovoltaic (OPV) layers on PET plastic, weighing only 300 g/m². Kardinia claims its printed solar panels can be draped over stadium seats, rolled up for transport, and installed by a 2-person team in less than 2 hours.  

Coldplay plans to continue using these printed panels for its next leg of the Music of the Spheres World Tour to power the C Stage and backstage operations.  

Another recipient of the NSW state grant is 5B Holdings with AUD 2.5 million ($1.6 million). The company produces pre-fabricated, pre-wired panels called Maverick that are folded like an accordion into shipping containers. The design enables faster deployment of solar plants while lowering labor costs. 

5B will use the grant to prototype, test and pilot the Next Generation Maverick Solution, which it defines as an integrated, optimized and automated solar array system. The company is also the 1st recipient of the federal government’s AUD 1 billion Solar Sunshot Program (see 5B Secures First Solar Sunshot Funding In Australia). 

BT Imaging, with its AUD 598,391 ($388,239) win, will deliver what it claims to be the world’s 1st in-line Photoluminescence and Machine Vision System with automated tuning. It can boost solar cell and module efficiency. The government says it supports local manufacturers like SunDrive and Tindo Solar and builds advanced manufacturing capability in Australia.  

Commercial daytime photoluminescence (DPL) systems and services company Lab 360 Solar has won $1.77 million ($1.15 million) in this round. The company will commercialize drone-based DPL imaging for residential, commercial, and utility-scale solar. 

The proceeds will enable Lab 360 to improve reliability, lower costs and support a ‘more sustainable, bankable’ solar future with its scalable fault detection and performance analysis. 

Hallocell Energy will study low-cost, high-efficiency perovskite solar modules and tandem stacks with the AUD 250,000 ($162,201) grant money.  

Australian technology company Syenta has also secured AUD 250,000 for its project, which studies high-speed laser fabrication components essential to their copper metallization method in solar cell manufacturing. 

The projects mentioned above are aimed at enhancing and supporting the solar ecosystem. According to the NSW government, its grants target the development and deployment of technologies that are not yet commercially available but have the potential to reduce emissions and contribute to the state’s net-zero goals. 

“Building a green innovation economy is critical to NSW’s long-term prosperity. These projects are a perfect example of our Industry Policy in action, which has identified the transition to a net zero economy as one of its three key missions, alongside local manufacturing and increasing housing supply,” said NSW’s Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology, Anoulack Chanthivong. 

A complete list of the 13 winners in the 2nd Clean Technology Innovation Grants round, under the state government’s Net Zero Industry and Innovation Program, is available on the NSW government’s website. All of these need to be completed by 2028. Grants have been awarded ranging from AUD 400,000 to AUD 5 million ($259,522 to $3.2 million) per project. The 1st round was concluded in 2023.