Tindo Gigafactory
The next step in Australian manufacturing
Tindo is developing Australia’s first ever solar panel manufacturing Gigafactory to meet the growing demand for Australian-made renewables.
The new factory will be a hub for Australian solar innovation and be a catalyst for a domestic solar supply chain.
By scaling its production capacity, Tindo will give more Australians the opportunity to have reliable locally-made panels on their roofs and ensure more of the benefits of the energy transition are realised in Australia.
The new Tindo factory will be capable of producing up to one Gigawatt (GW) per annum of high-quality Australia-made solar panels that contribute to the energy transition while creating jobs and economic activity.
The new factory will support the Australian Government’s objective of establishing a renewables manufacturing industry that will play a pivotal role in the energy transition.
Benefits
Using a mix of imported and domestic materials to make quality panels that are suited to Australia’s extreme environment the factory will be carbon-neutral thanks to a co-located 5 MW solar farm.
It is estimated the Gigafactory will lead to:
- 7,000 high quality panels per day;
- 250 direct jobs; 900 jobs in supply chain;
- Economic activity of around $300m per annum;
- Development of Australian expertise and Intellectual Property;
- The highest quality panels available in the market;
- Sovereign capability in the energy transition.
- An onshore solar manufacturing industry.
Richard Petterson, CEO Tindo
“This is a major step towards Australia regaining its position as a leader in solar, utilising our skills, knowledge and manufacturing capabilities to make the hardware that will produce emissions free electricity for homes and businesses across the country.”
Why Australia needs a solar manufacturing industry
Given the speed of the energy transition in Australia, the renewables hardware being used is largely imported, creating challenges that needs resolving:
- Energy security: The International Energy Agency has urged nations to develop domestic solar PV supply chains to guard against reliance on offshore suppliers.
- Competitive scale: To produce quality Australian solar panels at a competitive price, we must produce at scale. Tindo can reduce its unit-price by producing panels at Gigafactory scale which brings the panel price closer to the import benchmark.
- Economic stimulus: 1 GW of panel production makes it economically viable for Australian industry to make panel components eg. glass, backsheet, frames. This creates jobs.
- Australian innovation: a domestic solar PV industry of at least 1 GW incentivises innovation in advanced manufacturing and creates the commercial scope to make solar cells.
- Sovereign Capability: the Gigafactory contributes to net-zero policy goals and reduces Australia’s reliance on global supply chains.
