A revolutionary solar technology is one step closer to hitting the market thanks to a project led by Kardinia Energy and the University of Newcastle to build a world-first printed solar manufacturing facility.
Conventional solar panels needed to harness electricity generated by the sun typically come at a high price, requiring advanced manufacturing methods and expensive materials like high-grade silicon. While they excel in well-lit regions, their efficacy can dip in overcast or windy conditions.
Professor Paul Dastoor and his team from the Centre for Organic Electronics (COE) within the Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources (NIER) at the University of Newcastle have invented printed solar technology to address these challenges.
“Printed solar involves printing carbon-based inks on flexible plastic, similar in texture and flexibility to a potato chip packet,“ said Professor Dastoor.
“We use a roll-to-roll printing technique, similar to the method used to print newspapers. The outcome is an extremely affordable, fully recyclable solar technology that costs less than $10 per square meter to produce.”
A more reliable and affordable option for generating solar energy, an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional coal and gas power, will help drive the global energy sector towards renewable sources.
The technology’s implications for the Australian economy are substantial.
Covering industrial, warehouse and commercial roof space alone in printed solar material would effectively double our large-scale solar energy generation capacity.
The technology was recently put to the test in the 2021 Charge Around Australia challenge, when it successfully powered an electric vehicle on a 14,000 kilometer journey around the country.
The material also currently covers the roof of the Beresfield-based logistics company, CHEP, where it was installed in 2018.
Kardinia Energy, a company that believes in making sustainable energy accessible to all, has supported the technology’s development at the University of Newcastle since 2021.
With the support of the Trailblazer for Recycling and Clean Energy, Kardinia plans to develop an Australian-based manufacturing facility to fast-track the technology to market.
Kardinia Energy CEO Anthony Letman said that the Printed Solar: Ultralightweight PV Technology project represents the last piece of the puzzle in moving the technology towards full-scale commercial deployment, ensuring the widespread availability of affordable and sustainable renewable energy.
“Currently, 770 million people don’t have access to electricity, and 3 billion people don’t have access to clean cooking fuels. The scalability and economic viability of printed solar poses a real opportunity to tackle this issue,” said Kardinia Energy CEO Anthony Letmon.
“With the support from TRaCE to build a printed solar manufacturing facility, we’ll employ Australian graduates to manufacture printed solar modules on a commercial scale for the first time. The facility’s successful operation will mark the final step before printed solar can enter the market.”
Building a Balance Of System
The Balance of System (BOS) they used for the Charge Around Australia project was designed for silicon PV rather than other solar technologies like printed solar.
In collaboration with Dr Daniel Elkington and Dr Ben Vaughan, members of Professor Dastoor’s COE, and in conjunction with the Newcastle hub of the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF), Kardinia Energy launched a TRaCE R&D Voucher project in October 2024 to develop their own BOS optimised for converting energy from both printed solar and silicon PV to a range of outputs.
Learn more about Kardinia Energy and the Centre for Organic Electronics at the University of Newcastle.
