Fellowships for 25 next-gen solar researchers

Twenty-five lucky solar researchers will have the opportunity to pursue their own research investigations to help make solar technologies cheaper and more accessible to consumers with funding from the Australian Government.

Resources and Energy Minister Gary Gray recently announced the fellowships as part of the government’s commitment to building Australia’s next-generation solar.

“The fellowships will help build the skills and capabilities of mid-career solar researchers at institutions around the country to become the next generation of world-leading Australian researchers,” Gray said.

“From projects investigating techniques to reduce the cost of highly efficient common silicon solar cells to projects looking at ways to improve the efficiency of low-cost organic solar cells, these researchers are exploring what could be game changers for the solar industry.”

The fellowships build on support already provided to 61 solar PhD and postdoctoral researchers through the former Australian Solar Institute. They are provided by the Australian Government through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and will collectively cost a total of about $3 million. Each fellowship provides up to $40,000 per year over three years.

The researchers come from institutions all around Australia, including Australian National University, University of NSW, CSIRO, University of Wollongong, University of Queensland, University of Melbourne and University of South Australia.

ARENA will be seeking new applications for solar PhD scholarships and postdoctoral fellowships in the second half of 2013.