Australia’s Solar Sunshot Initiative: Return Of The Sun King

Dr. Zhengrong Shi’s Sunman Group has been conditionally granted a bundle of bucks to set up a solar panel manufacturing facility in New South Wales.

What’s The Hunter Valley Solar Foundry Project Involve?

Sunman Group will receive up to $151 million¹ under the Albanese Government’s Solar Sunshot program to establish a module manufacturing facility in the Hunter Valley capable of producing 500 MW of panels annually. The support is subject to conditions including the execution of an Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) funding agreement.

The Hunter Valley Solar Foundry project will manufacture a range of solar panels for use here in Australia and exported internationally. It will also involve an innovation hub to support new solar tech commercialisation and operate as a solar manufacturing foundry offering production capacity to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Additionally, the project will partner with an accredited training partner to deliver an advanced manufacturing training program.

Construction of the facility is expected to create up to 200 jobs, with a further 100 ongoing roles once the factory is operational.

“Solar Sunshot is about building on Australia’s world-leading solar research to expand manufacturing capacity, strengthen supply-chain resilience and grow local jobs and skills,” said ARENA CEO Darren Miller. “The Hunter Valley Solar Foundry project reflects these goals, bringing together advanced technology, local workforce development and long-term economic benefits for regional communities.”

More On Dr Zhengrong Shi And Sunman Energy

Dr Zhengrong Shi (pictured above: right) has had a long association with Australia PV research and development.  He studied at Shanghai University, and in the late 1980’s  approached Dr. — these days Professor — Martin Green (aka “the father of photovoltaics”) seeking work with his fledgling University of New South Wales research team. He was instead offered a research scholarship and helped bring Australian-developed game-changing solar technology to the world.

Dr. Shi gained his PhD in electrical engineering here and Australian citizenship².

Subsequent efforts by Dr. Shi to establish a solar business in Australia were unsuccessful as he couldn’t attract investors or government support, so he returned to China and founded solar panel manufacturer Suntech in 2001. Suntech became a world leader and during this period he was dubbed the “Sun King”.

But financial mishaps, including the firm being scammed out of  560 million euros, saw Suntech deteriorate. The company survived after acquisition by Shunfeng International Clean Energy Limited in 2014, but without Dr. Shi at the helm; who had left the firm the previous year.

Dr. Shi wasn’t done and he went on to set up another solar panel manufacturer in 2014, Sunman Energy. Sunman’s speciality is flexible panels (eArc) that are a fraction of the weight of their conventional counterparts. eArc panels substitute glass with durable polymers, making the panels up to 70% lighter, easier to transport and faster to install. They are targeted towards C&I applications, including low-load roofs with structural limitations.

Here’s an example of an installation in Australia, combining conventional glass panels (left) and Sunman Energy’s lightweight, flexible modules (right):

We don’t see a lot of use of Sunman Energy flexible panels in Australia yet, but last year Dr. Shi indicated the company may manufacture modules here if the firm could get support from the Solar Sunshot initiative. And it’s envisioned the Hunter Valley Solar Foundry will also produce glass panels.

Commenting on the venture, Dr. Shi said:

“As a proud Australian and a solar expert trained at the University of NSW, it has been my long-held ambition to establish solar module manufacturing in Australia, and it is my hope that over time the Foundry supports the foundation of a vertically-integrated solar supply chain in Australia. This is an important milestone in Australia’s energy transition.”

Dr. Shi has been a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering since 2009, and was appointed Adjunct Professor at the University of NSW in 2012.

Other Funded Projects

Back in August, Australia’s only module manufacturer with products in the market — Tindo Solar — and several local polysilicon hopefuls were also awarded Solar Sunshot funding. And Sydney’s Sundrive last year announced it was leading an application for funding in a joint venture with China’s Trina Solar, but as far as I’m aware there’s still been no further developments on that application.

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