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Opening of Sundrive Solar – Sydney
I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging.
I am so pleased to be here today, to celebrate a world-leading example of Australian innovation.
The most efficient commercial-sized solar cell, in the world.
The global race for affordable and reliable renewable energy has never been more intense, or more important.
And leading on efficiency is a tremendous source of competitive advantage.
It means lowering costs – and reducing emissions.
As we see here today, it also means accelerating a new generation of advanced manufacturing, powered by renewable energy and creating tens of thousands of new jobs, right across our nation.
The milestone we mark today reflects years of dedicated work by so many of you here.
It represents more than a billion dollars of commercial investment in Research and Development.
I am proud to lead a Government that has backed your efforts through ARENA, the Clean Energy Innovation Fund, and Main Sequence Ventures.
All part of our $40 billion commitment to new clean energy industries.
And while it is right and important to celebrate the breakthroughs that have brought you this far, I know all of you are focused on taking the next step.
Manufacturing this technology at scale, so we can boost supply for businesses and households.
This how Australia can seize its chance to be a renewable energy superpower – and a net-zero economy.
High-efficiency rooftop solar is absolutely central to reducing our national emissions, rebuilding our national energy grid and taking pressure off family budgets as well.
Australians understand this, 3.5 million households have embraced rooftop solar – because it works.
It’s a way of doing the right thing by the environment, while cutting your power bill.
And we know that when you combine rooftop solar with battery technology – whether that’s in the home, or through the community batteries our Government is rolling out – the savings are even more significant.
Rooftop solar reduces household bills by up to 57 per cent.
Solar plus storage takes that to between 75 and 100 per cent.
This also takes pressure off the national grid, when rooftop solar output goes up, wholesale demand – and wholesale prices – go down.
This is where your hard work serves Australia’s national interest.
Making more efficient rooftop solar, more affordable.
And helping more families access cheaper power, closer to home.
Above all, making the most of this outstanding technology and this extraordinary opportunity, depends on our ability to make things here in Australia.
That’s where our National Reconstruction Fund comes in – investing in manufacturing, strengthening our ability to turn world-leading Australian ideas into world-beating products.
This time last week, I was in the United States.
And across the days of discussions we had with President Biden and members of his Cabinet, as well as leading US business and industry representatives, I can assure you there was an extraordinary level of American interest in Australia’s Critical Minerals.
Our continent is home to the building blocks of the clean energy economy, the resources the world needs.
The copper and lithium and vanadium and cobalt that are essential to every solar panel and wind turbine and battery.
The point I made to our friends in America, is the same one I make here at home.
Yes we have the supply – but we have so much more to offer.
Exporting resources will always be an economic strength for Australia.
But by investing in skills and manufacturing and innovation, we can diversify our economy and diversify our trade links.
Building our economic resilience, moving Australia up the international value chain and creating more good jobs here at home.
This is a moment of transformative opportunity – and your ideas, your investment and your technology will help Australia to seize it.
Congratulations on this great milestone, I have every confidence there are bigger and better successes ahead.