Canberra
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I would like to acknowledge Vice Chancellor Ian Young, Mr Xue Bing and Mr from the Chinese Embassy, Chair of the ASI Board Ms Jenny Goddard, CEO Mark Twidell and John Susa and Dr Huang Qiang from Trina Solar.
It is a pleasure to be at the ANU for the launch of the Australian Solar Institute Round 2 Photovoltaic ANU Project.
As the pace of solar energy deployment accelerates globally it is imperative that Australia remains a leader in the field.
It is projects like this one that will keep us there.
They also give us a glimpse of the future industries the large-scale development and deployment of clean energy technologies could create.
This project is expected to attract millions of dollars in licensing fees for the ANU in addition to supporting high value research jobs in Australia.
The collaboration between the ANU, Trina and UNSW, with support from the Australian Government’s Australian Solar Institute is exactly the type of partnership we need to drive down the cost of solar cells, and make solar electricity more affordable.
Working in partnership to meet these challenges was one of the key topics for discussion during the Prime Minister’s visit to China this week and it is great to see here today evidence of such a partnership in operation.
Bringing together two of our nation’s pre-eminent research institutions and the one of the world’s largest manufacturers of solar cells has the potential to deliver tremendous results.
This project aims to make low-cost "n-type" silicon solar cells a reality.
Through increasing cell efficiency, it aims to drive down the cost of photovoltaic modules to the point where solar electricity is competitive with other forms of stationary energy.
This would be a truly exciting milestone to reach in our efforts to reduce emissions and supply more of our energy demands from renewable sources.
The key barrier to wider deployment remains cost.
We need to do all we can to support a reduction in these costs.
We need investment in R&D and to leverage relationships between solar companies and research institutions.
This project will help deliver on these objectives.
The Australian Government is proud to be supporting it with a $3.3 million contribution from the ASI leveraging a total investment of $10.7 million.
Bringing on this level of investment is a central part of the ASI’s work.
In aggregate to date the ASI has committed over $66 million to fund 27 solar R&D projects, with a total leveraged value of $209 million.
And the ASI is part of the Government’s broader support for renewable and clean energy technologies through the $5 billion Clean Energy Initiative.
This includes the $1.5 billion Solar Flagships program, and it remains my intention to announce the successful outcome of round one of this program mid this year.
In addition to direct funding support the Government also lends its support to the deployment of renewable energy technologies through the 20 per cent by 2020 expanded Renewable Energy Target.
Putting a price on carbon will drive this investment even further.
Clearly supporting solar R&D is important for Australia.
We have world leading research institutions and researchers.
The Australian Government recognises the critical role of solar in our future and that is why we set up the Australian Solar Institute, to foster, support, and champion solar R&D.
We are a leader in solar research and development and we are determined to remain at the front of the pack.
Our strength is in our people, our researchers, and to ensure our success we are supporting our people and pursuing partnerships such as the one we are here to launch today with Trina Solar.
The ability of the team at the ANU to secure investment and ongoing licensing revenue from Trina, a leading company in the global solar supply chain, is a strong indication of the strength of solar R&D in Australia.
It is a strong vote of confidence in Australia that this project is expected to provide millions of dollars in investment for Australia, support knowledge intensive research jobs, future education and position us for future investment in this growing industry.
In conclusion let me once again commend you on this partnership and a job well done.
Thank you