Australia eyes solar independence with first domestic ingot and wafer production

In September 2025, ARENA launched the second round of the AU$1billion programme, allocating AU$150 million to further support domestic manufacturing and scale-up projects.  

Among the companies selected in the first round was Stellar PV, a Queensland-based silicon ingot and wafer manufacturing start-up. Speaking to PV Tech, the company’s CEO Louise Hurll emphasises the need for Australia to bolster its domestic solar manufacturing capabilities. 

“Today, more than 90% of the world’s polysilicon and 98% of its wafers – key building blocks of photovoltaic cells – are produced in China. Building an end-to-end solar manufacturing supply chain is becoming a strategic imperative for Australia,” she says. 

Hurll believes the Solar Sunshot Programme is helping lay the foundation for a competitive domestic solar manufacturing industry, not just in terms of financial backing, but as a statement of intent: “The Solar Sunshot Programme marks a turning point for Australia’s solar industry, building on our strengths in research and deployment to develop home-grown manufacturing capability.”   

From raw materials to finished products 

Australia’s current position in the solar value chain is primarily as a raw materials supplier. “We ship our quartz overseas to be processed. By the time it returns to us in the form of finished solar panels, its value has multiplied many times over,” Hurll explains. “The programme is a transformational opportunity for Australia to move from being a consumer of clean technology to a global supplier.” 

Through the Solar Sunshot Programme, ARENA is providing funding and production credits to help projects like Stellar PV’s progress from feasibility to commercialisation. The company has already received AU$4.7 million from ARENA to conduct a feasibility study for a 2GW silicon ingot and wafer facility in Townsville, Queensland. 

“The Solar Sunshot Programme funding is fundamental to establishing solar manufacturing in Australia. Private investment alone would not be viable for several reasons,” Hurll emphasises. “Our ARENA-funded feasibility study has been critical in understanding the true costs and financial structure needed to establish manufacturing here. We could not have progressed this far without that support.” 

She adds that government backing also provides “vital validation that helps attract private investors who see government as a committed partner in de-risking the project”. 

Learning from global manufacturing models 

Hurll highlights that every successful solar manufacturing nation has relied on strong government intervention to reach scale. “China’s dominance was built on decades of industrial policy, from low-cost energy and land access to preferential loans, tax incentives and direct support for manufacturing expansion,” she says. 

The United States’ Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has further reshaped the competitive landscape, offering up to US$12 per square metre in production tax credits for solar products. Australia’s Solar Sunshot Programme, Hurll notes, “is now positioned to provide a similar kind of investment support and production credits that can accelerate our entry into large-scale solar manufacturing markets”. 

While cost competition with China remains difficult, she believes Australia can carve out a niche based on sustainability, transparency and high performance. “Australia is well positioned to compete on both sustainability and cost, supported by abundant renewable energy and growing global demand for traceable, low-carbon materials.”   

Stellar PV: From feasibility to full-scale production 

The company’s feasibility study, due to be completed by mid-2026, will deliver a bankable engineering and business plan to guide construction, with production expected to begin in late 2028, Hurll says. 

The company’s facility will employ the Czochralski (Cz) method for ingot pulling, the global standard for photovoltaic-grade silicon, and the diamond wire sawing process for wafering. Both technologies are mature, efficient and align with Stellar PV’s focus on sustainability. 

“The technology itself is not the barrier; these processes are mature and well understood. The challenge lies in building the industrial and economic capability to support them,” she adds. 

Polysilicon production and crystal growth, Hurll highlights, are capital- and energy-intensive processes that require specialised expertise and strong policy certainty. “Establishing them in Australia will require coordinated investment, long-term policy certainty and access to affordable renewable energy,” Hurll says. 

Stellar PV’s Townsville site’s access to low-cost, behind-the-grid renewable electricity, combined with co-location near Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners’ planned polysilicon facility, creates “ideal conditions for supply chain integration and a strong competitive advantage,” she emphasises. 

Initially, polysilicon may be imported from trusted international producers, but Stellar PV intends to transition to domestic supply as soon as local production is ready. 

Stellar PV also aims to achieve a green price premium for its wafers by offering verified low-carbon and fully traceable manufacturing. “By combining transparency, certification and technical performance, we aim to position our wafers as a trusted, premium input for manufacturers seeking cleaner and more traceable supply chains,” Hurll explains. 

Townville facility and its ‘stellar’ future 

Automation will be central to the facility’s operations, but Stellar PV is equally focused on workforce development. The company expects to create a high-skill, regionally based workforce in North Queensland, contributing to economic diversification and long-term community benefits. 

 “Automation will play a major role in managing high-precision processes, but the human workforce remains central,” Hurll says. “We are building local capability through training, apprenticeships and continuous upskilling, ensuring automation enhances rather than replaces local employment.” 

By 2030, Stellar PV aims to be a global benchmark for sustainable wafer manufacturing, exporting to US and European markets while helping build an integrated Australian solar supply chain. 

“Our goal is to demonstrate that advanced solar manufacturing can thrive in Australia, combining technical excellence, low-carbon production, and reliable delivery,” she adds. “This is about proving that Australia can compete in advanced low-emissions manufacturing on the world stage.” 

The opinions and information presented in this article are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Australian government, which assumes no responsibility for the content.