Shaping Australia’s future energy landscape through smarter large-scale solar
From spatial modelling to innovative coatings and intelligent systems – CSIRO solar science is accelerating Australia’s renewable energy transition.
CSIRO7 min read10 views
As Australia works toward achieving 82 percent renewable energy by 2030, utility-scale solar installations serve a critical function in supporting that shift.
The swift rollout of these projects stands as a notable achievement for the country, while joint efforts in solar studies continue to push forward improvements in future versions of the technology.
Experts at Australia’s primary scientific organization are creating fresh approaches to tackle the issues involved.
Worldwide, the electricity output potential of solar photovoltaic modules under optimal circumstances is forecast to overtake that from coal within the coming year, based on findings from the International Energy Agency.
Within Australia, such expansive solar facilities are expected to account for close to 25 percent of national electricity needs by 2050.
This represents substantial progress compared with the country’s initial large solar power station, which began operations in Western Australia during 2010 and could generate as much as 10 MW of emissions-free power.
Work by CSIRO helps make sure renewable systems operate effectively together with important sectors such as farming, at the same time boosting their overall performance and reliability via advances in engineering approaches, component materials, and the use of artificial intelligence.
So, how might expansive solar power stations evolve as they keep reshaping the nation’s energy system?
Solar installations received the strongest level of support among major renewable options from the general Australian population, per results from a CSIRO poll conducted in 2024.
However, residents in non-urban zones showed greater reluctance toward having renewable facilities nearby, and participants overall indicated limited knowledge regarding the effects of these developments.
Key worries centered on effects to the natural surroundings and questions over handling discarded materials once projects reach the end of their service life. Additional notable issues involved potential drops in nearby real estate values and reduced space available for agricultural activities or alternative land purposes.
Fresh geographic analysis carried out by specialists from CSIRO together with the University of Western Sydney has demonstrated methods for limiting effects on farming earnings.
The team examined 1,568 different situations, measuring the balances between electricity production from solar setups and returns from agriculture by factoring in elements including project configuration, operational results, and proximity to renewable installations.
CSIRO research scientist Dr Stephen Snow noted that effects on high-quality farmland stemming from big solar projects can mostly be prevented.
“When siting is done strategically, high-value irrigated land and intensive cropping zones require almost zero conversion to solar,” Dr Snow said.
“Instead, the land most likely to host solar is lower-profitability grazing country, where hosting solar can represent reliable, drought-proof income.”
Switching to less productive grazing zones in place of prime cropland lowers the overall hit to nationwide farm earnings from $29 million annually, equivalent to 0.03 percent of Australia’s agricultural gross domestic product, down to only $2.6 million per year, or 0.003 percent of that GDP total. This amounts to a 90 percent decrease, all while producing identical energy volumes with negligible broader economic consequences.
“In suitable areas, grazing livestock like sheep under solar panels could reduce the impact even further: farmers receive compensation for harvesting the sun, while their herds and pasture are shaded,” Dr Snow said.
Considerations around land allocation form part of a wider context involving the planning and management of solar facilities.
The output from major and grid-connected solar arrays relies on factors beyond just physical scale, including arrangement and daily functioning to maintain steady and optimal results.
Experimental scientist Kenrick Anderson focuses on the organization of big solar sites and emerging photovoltaic designs, and he indicated that sophisticated simulation programs assist network managers in gaining clearer insights into actual performance both immediately and across the entire operational period of a facility.
“Being able to better predict the output of a solar farm is incredibly important,” Mr Anderson said.
“It means you can operate with confidence, rather than holding capacity back because of uncertainty.”
These simulation resources prove useful across all phases, ranging from designing array configurations to increase generation per unit of land, through to refining the movement mechanisms for photovoltaic modules to keep them aligned properly as sunlight shifts position throughout the day.
CSIRO maintains a dedicated outdoor testing site for photovoltaic systems, applied across multiple initiatives that examine module effectiveness and gradual wear over time, along with positioning mechanisms on panels aimed at optimizing production.
Supported by this type of analysis, solar installations can function nearer to their maximum potential, yielding greater electricity from equivalent equipment and enhancing stability for the power network.
Such simulations become especially vital when combined with substantial battery storage systems, which appear more frequently alongside solar projects.
During periods of intense sunlight when numerous sites have to limit power fed into the network because of capacity limits, storage units commonly capture surplus electricity for release at later times, according to Mr Anderson.
Improved forecasts of generation levels through these tools assist managers in creating plans that keep storage units sufficiently filled and ready to supply power during high-demand windows in the late afternoon and evening hours.
“These models can ensure batteries are available when they’re needed most,” he said.
Expansive solar sites naturally encounter weather conditions that influence their results.
“PV panels work better when they are cooler, so understanding wind patterns can inform solar panel orientation in a solar farm,” Mr Anderson said.
Sophisticated fluid dynamics computations that examine movements of air currents, temperature variations, and particles across extensive panel groupings help determine construction and management practices for upcoming solar developments.
Given that vast solar arrays consist of hundreds of thousands of individual modules, those in charge must address the task of maintaining cleanliness to sustain peak performance and capture maximum available sunlight.
“We are developing new self-cleaning coatings that don’t sacrifice the anti-reflective technology crucial for PV Panels,” Mr Anderson said.
“Thin, film-like coatings that repel dirt and dust, they also allow the panels to absorb energy at a higher rate.”
This leads to examination at the individual cell scale and CSIRO’s collaboration with the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, known as ACAP, encompassing efforts on layered silicon-perovskite photovoltaic designs.
Such combined cells are anticipated to provide no less than a 5 percent boost in efficiency compared with current single-layer silicon options. When implemented broadly, this advance could allow a solar installation to produce sufficient extra electricity for powering about 1,000 additional households while occupying the identical ground area used by a 100-megawatt facility at present.
Researchers employ an automated process for depositing thin layers to create solar cells with novel substances.
The efforts continue well after solar projects become operational. Indeed, regular checks and upkeep of the modules prove necessary to sustain strong energy production levels. Yet the expenses, potential hazards, and workforce demands of performing this work by hand remain considerable.
To overcome these difficulties, CSIRO specialists are applying knowledge in artificial intelligence and automated systems to solar sites, deploying intelligent machines capable of independent movement across wide areas, creating detailed records and adapting to frequently altering ground features.
The machines construct accurate representations to convert site details into digital form and apply AI for a complete overview of the location, something that would otherwise demand weeks of hands-on evaluation.
Fitted with imaging devices, Light Detection and Ranging equipment, and various detectors, these units identify problems from accumulated grime and animal waste to faulty connections, unsecured parts, and risky temperature concentrations inside modules.
“Hotspots decrease the efficiency of a PV panel over time because of the electrical and thermal imbalance they create. Solar farms benefit from early hotspot detection,” Mr Anderson said.
Through recording problems accurately onto an electronic layout of the installation, the machines allow trained personnel to focus solely on affected modules, cutting upkeep expenses, enhancing worker protection, and supporting more productive and dependable power delivery from the solar sites.
Dr Peyman Moghadam, Senior Principal Research Scientist with CSIRO, described the extended goal as progressing past basic checks to comprehensive site awareness.
“We are not just collecting images or 3D data. We are building the foundations for intelligent solar operations, where data from robots, fixed sensors and field systems get fused to support earlier warning, better predictive maintenance decisions and more resilient performance over time,” said Dr Moghadam.
The quick expansion of solar capacity counts as an Australian achievement, and joint research initiatives are progressing the creation of advanced iterations.
More intelligent management practices influence current system handling, yet they also prompt key considerations for long-term viability. The fairly recent arrival of big solar installations opens continued study possibilities concerning their sturdiness and extended service life, while their overall size introduces major issues tied to decommissioning solar photovoltaic modules and dealing with resulting refuse.
As fields filled with solar arrays grow more familiar across the countryside, upcoming advancements will contribute to building a more productive, dependable, and environmentally sound sector for renewable power.
An Albanese government plan to use idle roof space on factories and warehouses for solar panels tackles the “missing middle” in Labor’s quest to push more renewables into the power grid.
The federal government is set to announce changes to the Small-scale Renewable Energy scheme in a bid to help businesses install solar systems and close the gap with residential take-up.
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