The federal government plans to revoke ARENA’s ability to issue research grants, which the scientists believe will stall promising advances being made in the country that can deliver major gains in efficiency and for the economy.
Labor is yet to announce a commitment to retain ARENA’s grant funding scheme, but has promised only to reserve $305 million of the unspent funds for large solar thermal demonstration projects.
ARENA, the country’s major funder for solar researchers, faces an existential threat if research grants are stopped. Many researchers stand to lose their jobs with the ongoing cuts.
“Continuity in funding is essential in solar cell research so if you lose your funding for even a year or so a lot of your expertise disappears as teams are disbanded,” University of NSW Australian centre for advanced photovoltaics director Martin Green said.
“Our research would find employment overseas very easily, and we’d lose that expertise.”
Australian National University centre for sustainable energy systems director Andrew Blakers added that Australia has a “tremendous track record” of leadership in photovoltaics.
“Severe curtailment of ARENA grants will cause loss of that leadership, loss of commercial opportunities, loss of hundreds of jobs, and severe downscaling of PhD and undergraduate student opportunities,” Blakers said.
Today, photovoltaics and wind energy combined accounts for all new generation capacity being installed every year in Australia.
Globally, $US286 billion was invested in renewables in the past year alone ($2.3 trillion over the past 12 years), with investments in renewables surpassing the $130 billion spent on fossil fuels.
“It is important to continue to accelerate research and development spending to support the renewable energy evolution now under way,” Blakers said.
“Photovoltaics and wind energy are fundamentally reshaping the way economies of the world are powered, so it’s a critical time for Australia to stay in the game if it is to reap further benefits from its leading position in research and education.”
UNSW dean of engineering Mark Hoffman agreed.
“We need to capitalise on this global pole position and maintain investment in research to bring the benefits back to local industry,” Hoffman said.
“Especially when investment is pouring into the sector and Australia can only gain from its clear technological leadership.”
Since its establishment in 2012, ARENA has supplied around $1 billion in funds to 250 renewable energy commercialisation projects, and has kick-started a range of research that has accelerated renewable technology in the country.
Last month, 62 senior energy researchers wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull calling on his government to reverse its decision to end the grant funding by ARENA.
Recently, 130 more researchers and 61 undergraduate students wrote to federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt to make the same argument.
