Australian solar technology research advancements

Australian researchers are advancing multiple solar-related technologies, focusing on manufacturing efficiency, recycling, and waste conversion.

Engineers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have developed a method to reduce defects in next-generation solar cell materials. By ensuring ingredients remain evenly distributed during the furnace-based manufacturing process—a technique compared to the precision required in baking—the team has improved the material’s ability to convert sunlight into electricity.

In the field of recycling, researchers at the University of Newcastle have scaled up a continuous pilot-scale flotation technique to recover nearly 100 per cent of silver from retired solar panels. This method avoids acids and is potentially three to five times less expensive than conventional acid-leaching approaches.

Further developments at Adelaide University involve using sunlight to convert waste plastics into hydrogen, syngas, and other industrial chemicals. This solar-powered photoreforming method uses photocatalysts to break down plastics at low temperatures, which may be more energetically favorable than traditional water-splitting methods for hydrogen production.