Prefabricated solar tech firm 5B protects ARENA grant, launches AU$ 33m innovation programme

• Prefabricated solar services producer 5B is seeking to improve the scalability as well as cost of its modern technology through an AU$ 33.4 million (US$ 24 million) innovation program as well as support from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

Australia-based 5B explains its Maverick ground-mount remedy as a "plug as well as play solar farm in a box" that features up to 90 modules and also can be released "as much as ten times quicker" than a standard solar installment.

The innovation programme will certainly see the firm utilize progressed automation to scale Maverick as it looks to enable a 70% reduction in the capital price of a solar farm including the technology to AU$ 0.30/ W (US$ 0.22/ W) by 2030.

Roughly two-thirds of the investment will certainly be routed towards making a scalable and mainly automated manufacturing line at 5B's head office in Sydney, while the rest will certainly be used to develop a robot system that utilizes GPS-guided release modern technology to mount arrays. ARENA will certainly sustain the company with an AU$ 14 million grant.

" This program will certainly drive an action modification in our automation capability and also make it possible for regional manufacturing in Australia," said 5B chief running policeman Nicole Kuepper-Russell.

Launched in 2017, Maverick can be developed and pre-wired in a factory, ready for implementation in the field. 5B needs to day completed 52 projects with an incorporated capacity of more than 32MW featuring the technology across Australia, the US, Latin America as well as India.

The business last year released a greater capacity 50kWdc Maverick that is optimized for the 540-550W module class.

Having actually secured the backing of power tech firm AES as part of an AU$ 12 million Series A financing round in 2020, 5B last year increased the very same amount in a pre-Series B round to support its development in markets such as the United States, Chile and India.

AES has itself released a solar installation robot that will certainly carry out tasks such as heavy training as well as connecting solar modules. The business stated the modern technology will make it a lot more reliable and much safer to build solar projects.

ARENA's support of 5B comes one week after the agency introduced up to AU$ 40 million in funding to support r & d that can assist Australia in its initiatives to reduce the price of solar.

" 5B is an Australian success story at the forefront of solar innovation," stated ARENA chief executive officer Darren Miller. "Having started in 2013, they are currently coming to be leaders in locally produced ultra-low-cost solar products that might reshape our solar market."