Tindo Solar to scale output to 180 MW with Australian government grant
Australian solar module manufacturer Tindo Solar will look to ramp up domestic production capacity after securing funding through the federal government’s $1 billion Solar Sunshot Program.
Australian solar module manufacturer Tindo Solar will look to ramp up domestic production capacity after securing funding through the federal government’s $1 billion Solar Sunshot Program.
South Australia-based Tindo Solar has secured a AUD 34.5 million ($22.34 million) grant under the Australian federal government’s AUD 1 billion Solar Sunshot program to help scale up Australia’s solar manufacturing industry.
Tindo will use the funding, that includes a manufacturing production credit (MPC) and a capital grant, to upgrade its Mawson Lakes facility in Adelaide’s northern suburbs, scaling its annual output from 20 MW to 180 MW.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), which administers the Solar Sunshot program, said the support will allow investment in automation and expanding Tindo’s product range “to include premium n-type solar modules.” It will also support a feasibility study for a future gigafactory capable of producing 1 GW of solar panels annually.
Tindo Solar CEO Richard Petterson said the funding will allow the company to scale up production “to a more efficient and cost-effective model.”
“The Solar Sunshot support means we can lower our prices while maintaining our quality, which quadruples our addressable market and makes Tindo solar panels available to more consumers,” he said. “We make premium solar panels which means we have captured a small section of the Australian solar panel market, but the production credit opens a larger market.”
Petterson said the production expansion will create 50 new jobs and will activate an Australian solar PV supply chain capable of replacing imported components, initially in aluminum frames and junction boxes, but expanding to other PV components made by domestic manufacturers.
ARENA CEO Darren Miller added that as Australia’s only homegrown solar module manufacturer, Tindo is uniquely placed to help build and strengthen a domestic solar manufacturing industry.
“Australia needs to install hundreds of millions of solar panels over the coming decades to reach our 2050 emissions goals and deliver on the renewable energy superpower ambition,” he said. “There is an opportunity to make a portion of these here in Australia and today marks a significant step in that direction.”
The funding for Tindo is one of four Solar Sunshot grants announced by ARENA with another AUD 11 million to go towards feasibility studies exploring Australian-based manufacturing of upstream PV components.
Other projects to receive funding include:
- AUD 5 million to Solquartz for its Townsville green polysilicon feasibility study into a 100,000 tpa low-emission, solar-grade polysilicon production facility.
- AUD 1.3 million to Energus Solar for its feasibility study for a 50,000 tpa low-emissions, solar-grade polysilicon production facility.
- AUD 4.7 million to Stellar PV for its feasibility study for a 2 GW low-emissions polysilicon ingot pulling and wafering facility.
ARENA said these studies will explore local production of polysilicon, ingots and wafers, which are critical components in solar panel manufacturing.
“Australia is rich in raw materials and well positioned to manufacture the upstream components that will drive our solar future and help strengthen Australia’s energy independence, add value to international supply chains and create new opportunities in clean energy manufacturing,” the agency said.
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