By Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson

Solar cells could be printed out like newspapers after Australia’s leading science organisation opened a $6.8 million facility dedicated to flexible solar technology. 

The CSIRO launched its state-of-the-art Printed Photovoltaic Facility in south-east Melbourne on Wednesday, following more than 15 years of research into the renewable energy technology.

Researchers said printed, flexible photovoltaic cells could not only lower the cost of solar energy but could be used to deliver power in challenging areas such as space exploration, defence and disaster recovery.

The facility, located in the Victorian suburb of Clayton, would help researchers scale up the production of flexible solar cells and introduce the technology to more industries, CSIRO renewable energy systems group leader Anthony Chesman said.

“What this does is bridge the gap between the laboratory scale and larger scale manufacturing so we can see how we replicate the process … and produce it at larger volumes,” he told AAP.

“Straight out of the gate, we’re not looking at a printing process that’s like newspapers where it’s super fast … but we’re working towards developing higher speeds.”

The CSIRO’s flexible solar cells are created by printing a material called perovskite on to thin and flexible plastic film using a roll-to-roll technique.

The process could produce more solar cells at a cheaper cost and with a lighter weight than traditional solar panels.

They were not designed to replace current solar panels, Dr Chesman said, but to deliver solar technology in challenging areas such as natural disaster recovery, defence technology, greenhouses and space exploration.

“Space is one of the main applications that we see in the near term where the existing solar cells are very efficient but they are rigid so it’s difficult to curl them out the way we would like to, and they’re also incredibly expensive,” he said.

“We would like to see if we can provide an alternative to that.”

The science agency will invite companies to collaborate on “novel ways” to use the technology, CSIRO national facilities executive director Professor Elanor Huntington said, and tap into researchers’ expertise.

“This not only offers incredible opportunities for Australian manufacturers but also contributes to addressing global energy challenges and advancing the transition to net zero,” she said.

Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic said the facility, which received funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, could help Australian businesses to expand the renewable energy market.

“(It) means we can scale up and get moving on new Aussie products that will create new Aussie jobs while lowering emissions,” he said.

“This is another great Australian idea that has put us on the ground floor of a new industry that could be a billion-dollar marketplace in the future.”