The Sunman Group, founded by solar pioneer and University of New South Wales (UNSW) alumnus Dr Zhengrong Shi, has announced it will develop Australia’s largest solar module manufacturing plant in the Hunter Valley after landing $171 million (USD 111.92 million) in federal and state government funding.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has committed up to $151 million in conditional funding through the federal government’s $1 billion Solar Sunshot program to support the development of the Hunter Valley Solar Foundry while the NSW government has invested $20 million.
Sunman already has two manufacturing facilities: a 1 GW facility in China, and a 500 MW facility that is under construction in the United States.
The proposed Hunter Valley facility, to be built at Black Hill near Maitland, will draw on Sunman’s established technology and track record as a lightweight solar innovator to manufacture 500 MW of solar modules annually for use in the Australian and international markets. It is expected the facility will initially produce 300 MW of panels per year before scaling up to the full 500 MW annual capacity.
“Once established, the Hunter Valley Solar Foundry will be the largest manufacturer of solar photovoltaic modules in Australia, and the only one in NSW, delivering world-leading products to residential, commercial and utility customers around the country,” Shi said.
Tindo Solar is currently recognised as the only manufacturer of Australia-made solar panels. The South Australia-headquartered company is in the process of scaling the annual output of its Mawson Lakes facility in Adelaide’s northern suburbs from 20 MW to 180 MW and is also investigating the potential of establishing a manufacturing plant capable of producing 1 GW of solar panels annually.
Sunman’s Hunter Valley Solar Foundry is expected to produce a range of solar modules, including the company’s proprietary enhanced Architecture Ready Composite (eArc) modules, that replace traditional glass with durable polymers. The flexible eArc modules are 70% lighter than conventional glass panels and can be moulded and glued to surfaces.
The facility is also expected to produce glass solar modules, develop a solar innovation hub to support the commercialisation of new solar technologies and operate as a solar manufacturing foundry with the ability to provide production capacity to original equipment manufacturers, further strengthening Australia’s domestic solar supply chain.
“This is an important milestone in Australia’s energy transition,” Shi said. “It has been my long-held ambition to establish solar module manufacturing in Australia, and it is my hope that over time the foundry supports the foundation of a vertically integrated solar supply chain in Australia.”
ARENA Chief Executive Officer Darren Miller said the new Hunter Valley facility will help build Australia’s solar manufacturing capability, reduce reliance on imports and expand the nation’s role in global clean energy supply chains.
“Deployment of solar photovoltaics at scale is central to meeting our long-term emissions goals,” he said. “Building our manufacturing capabilities will help ensure that our supply chains are resilient and Australian innovations are supported as we accelerate the rollout of solar PV.”
Construction of the facility is expected to generate up to 200 jobs, with another 100 ongoing roles once operational.
The funding announcement comes after local Sunman subsidiary Energus earlier this year received $1.3 million in funding through the Solar Sunshot program to support a feasibility study for a 50,000 tonne per annum solar-grade polysilicon production facility in the Hunter Valley.
The study was to assess the technical, commercial, and environmental viability of producing high-purity polysilicon in Australia.
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