1Komma5°, a European solar group, recently revealed that it will begin manufacturing its own panel components in Europe. It can be recalled that the firm brought its one-stop solar, battery, and electrification shop to Australia in 2022.
The head of 1Komma5° in the Asia Pacific, Chris Williams said, “It’s an exciting development for the 1komma5 group globally to shift to a much more reliable and modern slavery considered supply chain.”
He continued, “By procuring and utilising German polysilicon from as notable as entity as Waker we’re really proud to be pushing the benchmark of supply chain risk mitigation.”
This brings more hope that local manufacturing of solar panels may be possible in Australia as well. It’s no secret that the Australian government is keen to revamp local manufacturing of solar panels.
Recently, federal Labor adjusted the Safeguard Mechanism Bill to ensure that $1 billion is set aside for the manufacturing sector. $400 million will be for industries that provide critical inputs to clean energy industries.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese also declared, “Australia has all the resources that go into solar panels, batteries, and other finished products.” On LinkedIn, he said, “We should be making them here. And that’s what this investment is all about.”
With 1Komma5°’s latest plan, the panels made in Germany will be attractive to Aussies looking for quality solar.
1Komma5° sees potential in Australia
1Komma5°was asked if it would start manufacturing in Australia in the future, and the company said that they are not ruling out the possibility as long as they are given the right commercial incentive.
Williams said, “Obviously the Australian market is a very attractive landscape for local assembly, for batteries and panels more generally, and there’s a strong appetite from the Federal Government to support such industries.”
Even though Australia isn’t in the pipeline yet, it doesn’t mean they won’t focus more on manufacturing in Australia soon. It seems like the firm is only waiting for the right time for Australia to appeal more to the group before they make more concrete plans to build solar panels in the country.
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The revival of Australia’s solar manufacturing industry
The largest solar factory in the southern hemisphere once was in Homebush, a suburb in Sydney. Sydney was also one of the biggest solar suburbs in the world 20 years ago. Unfortunately, less than a decade following the 2000 Olympics Games, the factory closed.
Many members of the University of New South Wales (UNSW) research team who were part of the development of solar technology moved to China, where they set up the country’s first solar PV factories.
From then on, China now produces 70 per cent of global solar panel production, up until this day; whilst Australia accounts for around a third of one per cent.
However, now is the perfect opportunity for Australia to take on the reins once again as the solar industry booms and several nations are cutting their dependence on China.
The COVID-19 pandemic also has helped increase demands for local manufacturing capability.
Currently, Tindo Solar is the only solar panel manufacturer in the country. Recently, the manufacturer has seen a spike in sales of solar panels.
With these latest developments, Aussies are closer to reaching the light at the end of the tunnel to make the country, once again, a global leader in the solar energy sector.
The question is, how soon will Australia manufacture its own solar panels on a larger scale? That, we have to wait and see.
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