ADVANCED PHOTOVOLTAICS
Overview and Objectives
The Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics (ACAP) is pushing solar PV innovation forward, as we work towards a sustainable future powered by renewable energy.
Low cost, low emissions solar technologies are set to power future economies, and solar photovoltaics (PV) is placed to dominate new energy generation over the next decade.
Low cost, low emissions energy will create new opportunities and industries where Australia can leverage its unique advantages of high solar potential relative to energy demand, and an advanced economy with low population density, to deliver new industries. These include low emissions metals, to enable local manufacturing and to support the emerging hydrogen economy.
Success with ultra-low-cost solar photovoltaics will deliver these benefits.
While solar PV has developed into a significant industry sector, its technology and integration offers great opportunity for ongoing development, and ACAP is well positioned to continue to make a significant contribution to continued industry growth.
Bringing together Australia’s leading research institutions in solar photovoltaics with industry and international research partners, ACAP develops and maintains Australia’s leadership in innovation of solar technologies.
ACAP will deliver research, innovation and technology development aiming to deliver 30% solar cell efficiencies and 30c/Wp capital costs at scale for all Australians.
These ambitious goals will be targeted through our research into increased solar module efficiency, longer operating lifetimes and improved in-field performance--all while maintaining downward pressure on costs.
Efficiencies of 30% will need a technology breakthrough in emerging materials and tandem cell research, which forms a key area of our work. Significant R&D will be required to realise a commercial silicon-tandem cell product within the next decade, and so tandem cell research is represented in all ACAP's program streams and represents the most significantly resourced activity and collaborative effort within ACAP.
The ACAP Program consists of six Program Packages designed to work together to achieve these goals:
The program has been developed with the broad objectives of maintaining leadership in solar cell technologies, achieving 30% tandem cell efficiencies by 2030, contributing to 10c/W module cost and 30c/W CapEx to achieve a levelized cost of energy of $15/MWhr.
These objectives will be achieved through materials and device innovation, through efficiency improvements, and performance and yield improvements at low cost and sustainably.
