<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/launchpad-to-the-world-sundrive-inks-deal-to-get-aussie-solar-innovation-to-global-market/>
"Australian solar innovator SunDrive has inked a deal with two China-based
solar manufacturing heavyweights to help launch its homegrown – and potentially
game-changing – copper-based PV technology onto the global market.
According to a joint development agreement (JDA) announced on Monday, SunDrive
will collaborate with Maxwell Technologies and Vistar Equipment Technology to
co-develop and distribute commercial-scale direct-copper plating tools, to
produce high-efficiency heterojunction (HJT) solar cells.
Spun out of the University of New South Wales and backed by high profile
investors including Mike Cannon-Brookes, SunDrive is developing a technology
that uses copper for PV cell metallisation, instead of silver.
This approach aims to further cut the costs of making solar panels, given that
copper is around one hundred times cheaper and one thousand times more abundant
than silver. The company promises to deliver an installed cost of solar that is
20-30% cheaper than other high-efficiency cells.
In December last year, SunDrive notched up an important milestone by
demonstrating that more than 99 per cent of the solar cells produced at its
pilot facility in Sydney can meet and beat commercial standards.
The achievement also checked off one of the key funding criteria of the $11
million federal government grant awarded to SunDrive in late 2023 by the
Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena).
SunDrive CEO Natalie Malligan says the company’s strategy is to focus on
innovation and R&D at home, while partnering with the leaders of the global
industry to move from a pilot-scale to commercial-scale and establish domestic
and global manufacturing lines."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
