The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced the launch of its global $100 million “Solar ScaleUp Challenge,” inviting innovators, developers, engineers, financiers, and solar customers from around the world to collaborate on accelerating innovation in large-scale solar projects and reducing costs.
Focus on Installation, Operations, and Maintenance
The Challenge specifically aims to foster greater cooperation and breakthroughs in the solar sector, particularly focusing on optimizing installation, operations, and maintenance processes. By addressing these areas, the initiative seeks to contribute to ARENA’s vision of achieving ultra-low-cost solar (ULCS) energy, which is crucial for lowering electricity expenses and facilitating the decarbonization of energy-intensive sectors like industry and transportation.
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ARENA is collaborating with Greenhouse Tech, a platform that fosters multi-disciplinary team formation and global collaboration, to deliver the Solar ScaleUp Challenge. Greenhouse Tech’s successful track record in similar initiatives, such as the NetZero Steel Challenge, makes them a valuable partner in this endeavor.
New Approach to Overcome Barriers
ARENA CEO Darren Miller emphasized the importance of trying new approaches to overcome the barriers hindering the realization of ultra-low-cost solar. Partnering with Greenhouse Tech allows ARENA to tap into a wider range of expertise to achieve the Challenge’s objectives.
The Challenge aims to unite stakeholders from all stages of the solar project lifecycle to identify and rapidly scale innovative solutions. Mark Rowland, Chief Collaboration Officer at Greenhouse, highlighted the significance of bringing together diverse stakeholders to address challenges creatively.
Ambitious Cost Reduction Targets
While significant cost reductions have been achieved in solar PV, ARENA believes that further breakthroughs are essential. The agency is targeting an installed cost of 30 cents per watt and a levelized cost of electricity below $20/MWh by 2030. These targets are crucial for facilitating widespread adoption of solar PV and achieving a total installed capacity of 1 terawatt by 2050.
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The Solar ScaleUp Challenge complements ARENA’s $1 billion Solar Sunshot program, which focuses on bolstering domestic solar PV manufacturing and commercializing Australian innovations.
Global Call for Submissions
The Solar ScaleUp Challenge is a global initiative open for submissions over the next eight weeks. Individuals and organizations with innovative ideas for reducing large-scale solar installation or operations/maintenance costs are encouraged to participate by visiting the Solar ScaleUp Challenge website.