These are remarkable achievements, but behind every new solar module, every efficiency gain and every cost reduction are talented teams, and decades of research, development and collaboration – with remarkable stories.
Research impact is best understood through these stories and this year’s ACAP Annual Report is built around that principle. Rather than just reporting achievements and milestones, we’ve combined program highlights with case studies that showcase the people, technologies and discoveries shaping the future of solar energy.
Together, they provide a richer picture of the breadth of research underway across ACAP and the growing impact of Australia’s uniquely collaborative solar innovation ecosystem.
The report arrives at an exciting moment for Australian solar research.
Following a successful program review and strong progress toward our milestones, ACAP is entering a new phase supported by a further $220 million (USD 153.8 million) program of work.
With continued support from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) out to 2032, alongside our university and industry partners, more than 250 researchers across Australia are working together to advance the long-term vision of ultra low-cost solar.
Solar PV is already the world’s lowest-cost source of new electricity generation and the fastest-growing energy technology in history. Yet the opportunity ahead is even larger than many people realise.
Future energy systems will require enormous amounts of affordable renewable electricity to decarbonise not only power generation, but also industry, transport, manufacturing and processing.
Australian researchers are playing an oversized role in making that future possible. Each case study represents a different part of the journey towards ultra low-cost solar.
You’ll read about ACAP teams pushing silicon solar cells to their limits (and beyond, in some cases); researchers leading in fundamental PV materials discovery; and devising next-generation solar cell architectures.
Beyond this world-leading science, ACAP researchers are working to ensure that solar technologies can be manufactured sustainably, deployed at terawatt scale, and managed responsibly throughout their lifecycle.
We are also meeting the challenge of building the industries and supply chains needed for a future powered by solar.
Inside, you’ll read about researchers reducing silver use in solar manufacturing, one of the industry’s emerging resource constraints. Others are improving understanding of degradation mechanisms in advanced solar cells, guiding industry standards and improving long-term reliability.
You’ll meet the team behind ACAP spinout Hello Again Solar and their solar recycling technology, and learn about the feasibility of producing green polysilicon in Australia, a key input in the global solar supply chain.
ACAP researchers are also looking beyond solar technology and asking what ultra low-cost solar could mean for Australia’s industrial future. New modelling suggests Australia could ultimately deploy around 2,000 GW of solar capacity – supporting large-scale production of green iron, green steel and other energy-intensive export products. With Australia’s exceptional renewable energy resources, the analysis points to a future in which abundant low-cost renewable energy becomes a foundation of national prosperity.
It’s a powerful reminder that the significance of solar research extends far beyond improving solar panels. The technologies we are developing today could help create entirely new industries tomorrow.
ACAP’s commitment to developing new technologies is matched by its commitment to developing the leaders who will bring them to life.
One of the highlights of 2025 was the continued growth of the Emerging Leaders in Clean Energy (ELICE) program. By bringing together emerging researchers from Australia and China, ELICE is building the networks, leadership skills and collaborative culture that will underpin future clean energy innovation.
Together, these stories show that ACAP’s research impact is not a single breakthrough moment. It is the cumulative result of many people, many ideas and many years of sustained effort and investment.
The 2025 Annual Report reflects the strength of collaboration across the Australian solar research community. Universities, research organisations, industry partners and government agencies are working together towards shared goals, accelerating progress while ensuring that new knowledge translates into real-world impact.
That collaborative approach remains one of Australia’s greatest strengths. It is also one reason why ACAP was again ranked first globally for research quality and impact in photovoltaics in 2025, ahead of more than 100 international institutions, according to ScholarGPS.
The future is solar-powered. Through sustained investment in research, collaboration and innovation, ACAP’s researchers are helping to ensure that future arrives sooner, costs less and delivers greater benefits for Australia and the world.
I invite you to explore the ACAP Annual Report 2025, meet the people behind the research, and discover how Australian innovation continues to define the future of solar energy.Professor Renate Egan, Executive Director, Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics.
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Author: Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics Executive Director Professor Renate Egan.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own, and do not necessarily reflect those held by pv magazine.
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