PVTIME – Australia’s Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has approved up to AUD45 million in funding for Fortescue’s Solar Innovation Hub in Western Australia’s Pilbara region. The project will feature a 500MW-scale testbed and a 1.5GW PV development pipeline, with the aim of reducing the levelised cost of electricity through technology validation.
Picture from Fortescue
The testbed’s core objective is to overcome the Pilbara’s high construction costs and logistical challenges, providing cost-reduction guidance for Australia’s large-scale PV projects – particularly those in remote industrial environments. A key feature of ARENA’s funding approach is its support for up to 10 independent sub-projects across different technologies via a single agreement, creating a platform for testing integrated PV technology applications.
Fortescue has already initiated two demonstration projects at the hub. The automated construction specialist, Built Robotics, has successfully completed trials of its innovative automated piling technology at the Cloudbreak PV plant. Meanwhile, the modular solutions provider, 5B, is set to conduct field tests on its state-of-the-art prefabricated and pre-wired Maverick PV system in early 2026. Successful technology validation will enable expanded deployment in subsequent phases.
The investment aligns closely with ARENA’s Ultra-Low Cost Solar (ULCS) program, which sets clear 2030 targets: increasing module efficiency to 30%, lowering system installation costs to AUD0.30 per watt, and driving levelized cost of electricity below AUD20 per MWh. The program’s long-term plan aims to achieve 1 terawatt of national PV capacity by 2050.
ARENA officials have observed that technological advancements originating from the Pilbara hub will set a new standard for Australia’s PV industry. Industry analysts have highlighted that the Innovation Centre’s validation outcomes will reduce domestic PV development costs and deliver adaptable solutions for large-scale PV projects in remote regions globally.
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