Latest News

Australian innovation helped launch China solar juggernaut – now it’s time to hitch a ride with PV giants

The CEO of UNSW-originated solar innovator, SunDrive, says collaboration with China will be crucial to the success of Australian companies seeking to make it in the booming global solar industry, as well as to federal government plans to establish a local solar supply chain.

May 13, 2025

SunDrive strikes China pact to scale up copper PV technology

Australian PV innovator SunDrive Solar says it has struck an agreement with two of China’s biggest solar equipment manufacturers to help launch its copper electrode technology onto the global market.

May 13, 2025

Australia’s SunDrive partners with Chinese firms for ‘rapid-scale up’ of HJT solar cells

Australian PV cell technology startup SunDrive Solar has signed a joint development agreement with China’s Maxwell Technologies and Vistar Equipment Technology, two suppliers of solar cell production equipment.

May 13, 2025

SunDrive partners with Chinese firms to commercialise copper solar tech

Sydney-based solar technology company SunDrive on Sunday said it has signed a deal with Chinese equipment manufacturers Suzhou Maxwell Technologies Co Ltd (SHE:300751) and Jiangsu Vistar Equipment Technology Co Ltd to advance commercialisation of its copper metallisation technology.

May 12, 2025

“Launchpad to the world:” SunDrive inks deal to get Aussie solar innovation to global market

Australian solar innovator SunDrive has inked a deal with two China-based solar manufacturing heavyweights to help launch its homegrown – and potentially game-changing – copper-based PV technology onto the global market.

May 12, 2025

SunDrive Signs Deal to Fast-Track Commercialisation of Copper Solar Technology

SunDrive has signed a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) with global solar equipment leaders Maxwell Technologies and Vistar Equipment Technology to co-develop and distribute commercial-scale direct-copper plating tools, to unlock the full potential of high-efficiency heterojunction (HJT) solar cells.

May 11, 2025

SunDrive Solar partners with Capral Aluminium for Australian solar PV supply chain

Australian PV cell technology startup SunDrive Solar has partnered with Capral Aluminium to build a sustainable and domestic supply chain for solar PV in Australia.

December 6, 2024

“Concrete proof:” SunDrive marks major milestone on path to bring low-cost solar cells to market

Australian solar innovator SunDrive has passed a major milestone on the road to commercialising its homegrown copper-based PV technology, after demonstrating that more than 99 per cent of the solar cells produced at its pilot facility in Sydney can meet and beat commercial standards.

December 4, 2024

Powering the Future: Capral and SunDrive Partner for a Sustainable Solar Industry in Australia

Capral Aluminium and SunDrive Solar have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to explore the development of a supply partnership focused on advancing sustainability and developing a resilient local supply chain within Australia’s solar industry. This collaboration aims to enhance the competitiveness of domestic solar module production while significantly reducing its environmental impact.

December 4, 2024

Silver lining? Why an Australian startup is betting on a copper solar boom

SunDrive Solar, backed by investors including Malcolm Turnbull and the billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes, is hoping its copper-based solar cell can reach commercial scale through a partnership with Trina Solar, one of the world’s biggest panel producers.

November 3, 2024

Albanese’s domestic solar manufacturing hero strikes China pact

One of China’s biggest solar panel manufacturers may cash in on the Albanese government’s $1 billion photovoltaic subsidy program after partnering with a leading Australian solar start-up backed by billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes and former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

October 14, 2024

SunDrive Solar and Trinasolar Join Forces to Boost Australia’s Solar Manufacturing

SunDrive Solar, Australia’s leader in solar innovation, and Trinasolar, one of the world’s largest solar manufacturers, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to form a majority Australian-owned joint venture (JV).

October 14, 2024

Australia wants to become a renewable energy superpower. Can it?

Hidden among thick bushland in the outer suburbs of southern Sydney sits an expansive facility housing a technological breakthrough.

June 5, 2024

SunDrive’s Co-founder Vince Allen on ABC's The Business Budget Night Special

“There is a global race in terms of setting up onshoring of solar manufacturing all around the world, and with the right policy settings I do feel very strongly that Australia can be highly competitive."

May 15, 2024

SunDrive, AGL to collaborate on solar panel manufacturing in Australia

Solar panel manufacturing in Australia has reached a new zenith with a commitment by two industry leaders to explore the possibilities of establishing a commercial-scale advanced solar panel manufacturing facility in the heart of New South Wales coal country.

April 1, 2024

AGL, Cannon-Brookes vying for $1b in solar manufacturing grants

AGL Energy and a solar technology start-up backed by its biggest investor, Mike Cannon-Brookes, are among parties vying for a share of $1 billion in taxpayer funds intended to kick-start the domestic solar panel industry.

March 28, 2024

AGL and Cannon-Brookes want to make solar panels at former coal power station

Energy giant AGL will partner with a technology company backed by its biggest shareholder, billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes, to assess building a first-of-its-kind solar panel manufacturing plant on the site of the decommissioned Liddell coal-fired power station.

March 28, 2024

Australia’s biggest coal generator teams up with SunDrive to make solar at Liddell

Australia’s biggest coal generator AGL Energy has teamed up with local solar innovator SunDrive to explore the joint development of a “first of its kind” solar manufacturing facility at the site of AGL’s former coal power precinct in the New South Wales Hunter Region.

March 28, 2024

A game-changer for Australian innovation and advanced solar manufacturing

SunDrive Solar welcomes the announcement today by the Federal Government of the $1bn Solar SunShot to support the establishment of a domestic solar manufacturing industry.

March 28, 2024

Dr Maia Schweizer joins SunDrive as Chief Commercial Officer

SunDrive is pleased to announce that Dr Maia Schweizer has joined as Chief Commercial Officer. Maia brings energy sector and startup scaling experience from prior roles at McKinsey & Company, Origin Energy, Fortescue Future Industries and CleanCo Queensland where she served as the inaugural CEO. Maia trained as a geologist and astrobiologist at Princeton, Caltech and Oxford.

November 8, 2023

ABC Radio National - Australian made solar cell production

Australian solar company SunDrive is a step closer to producing ultra-low cost solar cells, after securing an $11 million grant to scale up its solar cell production to a commercial level. Guest: SunDrive's CEO & co-founder Vince Allen.

November 4, 2023

Prime Minister of Australia and Minister for Climate Change and Energy officially open SunDrive Solar

Today the Prime Minister The Hon. Anthony Albanese MP and Minister for Climate Change and Energy, The Hon. Chris Bowen MP, officially opened SunDrive’s solar manufacturing pilot production and commercialisation facility in Kurnell, NSW, today.

November 1, 2023

Canva, Atlassian billionaires join Turnbull in solar hopeful

SunDrive, the start-up hoping to replace silver elements in solar cells with cheaper copper, has drawn the support of heavyweight investors as it raises $21m.

October 13, 2022

Dropping out of uni was the best thing this solar pioneer ever did

Vince Allen’s disruptive solar cell has broken world records and won investment from billionaires including Mike Cannon-Brookes. Now he’s determined to mass produce in Australia.

October 10, 2022

SunDrive achieves 26.41% efficiency with copper-based solar cell technology

Australian solar technology company SunDrive continues to impress with its copper-based solar cell technology, achieving 26.41% efficiency for a full-size silicon cell using mass-production compatible heterojunction technology.

September 5, 2022

“Huge moment:” Australia’s Sundrive claims new solar cell efficiency milestone

Australian start-up SunDrive, backed by tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes, has claimed another solar cell efficiency record, reaching the milestone 26 per cent mark for a full area commercial size solar cell for the first time.

March 18, 2022

SunDrive sets 26.07% efficiency record for HJT cell in mass production setting

Australian solar technology startup SunDrive has announced “a breakthrough” in mass production compatible heterojunction technology after recording an efficiency result of 26.07% with a silver-free, commercial-size silicon solar PV cell.

March 17, 2022

Australian startup SunDrive fabricates its first full-sized panel

Sydney-based startup SunDrive has given itself an early Christmas present in the form of the fabrication of its first full-sized panel. This panel marks the most recent milestone on the road to commercialization for SunDrive, which set a new world record for commercial-sized silicon solar cell efficiency in September.

December 24, 2021

SUNDRIVE FABRICATES FIRST EVER FULL-SIZE SOLAR PANEL

South Sydney solar cell start up SunDrive Solar has successfully fabricated its first ever full size solar panels. The company took to social media to reveal the news which is a milestone in the industrialisation of its solar technology. In September SunDrive claimed a new world record, producing a solar cell with an efficiency at turning sunlight into electricity for a commercial-size silicon solar cell of 25.54 per cent. SunDrive’s new cell is produced with copper rather than expensive silver, promising future cost reductions in manufacture.

December 16, 2021

Aussie startups take the spotlight at COP26

Some of Australia’s most exciting cleantech startups were showcased on the global stage.

November 11, 2021

Smashing solar records with SunDrive’s Vince Allen

The solar pioneers have set a new efficiency benchmark with their next generation cells.

October 20, 2021

Australian technology start-up creates world's most efficient solar cell while replacing silver with copper

Solar start-up engineer Vince Allen knew he and his team had made something special in their laboratories. Now they have the certification to say they have created the most efficient commercial-sized solar cell in the world.

September 21, 2021

SunDrive snares solar record ahead of funding round

A home-grown solar start-up backed by tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes has snatched the coveted world record for solar cell efficiency in a well-timed coup ahead of its next funding round to support the scale-up of its innovative technology.

September 13, 2021

Solar Startup Born in a Garage Is Beating China to Cheaper Panels

Australia-based SunDrive has made a materials breakthrough that promises to increase the efficiency and lower the cost of solar panels. About seven years ago, Vince Allen barged into the garage he shared with some flatmates in a Sydney suburb and set about trying to shake up the solar industry. He was at the time a PhD candidate at the University of New South Wales, and he had an idea for making solar panels much cheaper: replace the expensive silver typically used to pull electricity out of the devices with plentiful, cheap copper.

September 9, 2021

Efficient, affordable solar cells born in Sydney garage

Some of Australia’s biggest renewable energy investors are backing a new high efficiency, low cost solar panel technology. The low cost of solar panels from affordable solar cells is transforming the way we generate electricity, but a Sydney startup is banking on new technology to drive prices down even further.

October 26, 2020

Latest News

Australian innovation helped launch China solar juggernaut – now it’s time to hitch a ride with PV giants

The CEO of UNSW-originated solar innovator, SunDrive, says collaboration with China will be crucial to the success of Australian companies seeking to make it in the booming global solar industry, as well as to federal government plans to establish a local solar supply chain.

May 13, 2025

SunDrive strikes China pact to scale up copper PV technology

Australian PV innovator SunDrive Solar says it has struck an agreement with two of China’s biggest solar equipment manufacturers to help launch its copper electrode technology onto the global market.

May 13, 2025

Australia’s SunDrive partners with Chinese firms for ‘rapid-scale up’ of HJT solar cells

Australian PV cell technology startup SunDrive Solar has signed a joint development agreement with China’s Maxwell Technologies and Vistar Equipment Technology, two suppliers of solar cell production equipment.

May 13, 2025

SunDrive partners with Chinese firms to commercialise copper solar tech

Sydney-based solar technology company SunDrive on Sunday said it has signed a deal with Chinese equipment manufacturers Suzhou Maxwell Technologies Co Ltd (SHE:300751) and Jiangsu Vistar Equipment Technology Co Ltd to advance commercialisation of its copper metallisation technology.

May 12, 2025

“Launchpad to the world:” SunDrive inks deal to get Aussie solar innovation to global market

Australian solar innovator SunDrive has inked a deal with two China-based solar manufacturing heavyweights to help launch its homegrown – and potentially game-changing – copper-based PV technology onto the global market.

May 12, 2025

SunDrive Signs Deal to Fast-Track Commercialisation of Copper Solar Technology

SunDrive has signed a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) with global solar equipment leaders Maxwell Technologies and Vistar Equipment Technology to co-develop and distribute commercial-scale direct-copper plating tools, to unlock the full potential of high-efficiency heterojunction (HJT) solar cells.

May 11, 2025

SunDrive Solar partners with Capral Aluminium for Australian solar PV supply chain

Australian PV cell technology startup SunDrive Solar has partnered with Capral Aluminium to build a sustainable and domestic supply chain for solar PV in Australia.

December 6, 2024

“Concrete proof:” SunDrive marks major milestone on path to bring low-cost solar cells to market

Australian solar innovator SunDrive has passed a major milestone on the road to commercialising its homegrown copper-based PV technology, after demonstrating that more than 99 per cent of the solar cells produced at its pilot facility in Sydney can meet and beat commercial standards.

December 4, 2024

Powering the Future: Capral and SunDrive Partner for a Sustainable Solar Industry in Australia

Capral Aluminium and SunDrive Solar have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to explore the development of a supply partnership focused on advancing sustainability and developing a resilient local supply chain within Australia’s solar industry. This collaboration aims to enhance the competitiveness of domestic solar module production while significantly reducing its environmental impact.

December 4, 2024

Silver lining? Why an Australian startup is betting on a copper solar boom

SunDrive Solar, backed by investors including Malcolm Turnbull and the billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes, is hoping its copper-based solar cell can reach commercial scale through a partnership with Trina Solar, one of the world’s biggest panel producers.

November 3, 2024

Albanese’s domestic solar manufacturing hero strikes China pact

One of China’s biggest solar panel manufacturers may cash in on the Albanese government’s $1 billion photovoltaic subsidy program after partnering with a leading Australian solar start-up backed by billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes and former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

October 14, 2024

SunDrive Solar and Trinasolar Join Forces to Boost Australia’s Solar Manufacturing

SunDrive Solar, Australia’s leader in solar innovation, and Trinasolar, one of the world’s largest solar manufacturers, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to form a majority Australian-owned joint venture (JV).

October 14, 2024

Australia wants to become a renewable energy superpower. Can it?

Hidden among thick bushland in the outer suburbs of southern Sydney sits an expansive facility housing a technological breakthrough.

June 5, 2024

SunDrive’s Co-founder Vince Allen on ABC's The Business Budget Night Special

“There is a global race in terms of setting up onshoring of solar manufacturing all around the world, and with the right policy settings I do feel very strongly that Australia can be highly competitive."

May 15, 2024

SunDrive, AGL to collaborate on solar panel manufacturing in Australia

Solar panel manufacturing in Australia has reached a new zenith with a commitment by two industry leaders to explore the possibilities of establishing a commercial-scale advanced solar panel manufacturing facility in the heart of New South Wales coal country.

April 1, 2024

AGL, Cannon-Brookes vying for $1b in solar manufacturing grants

AGL Energy and a solar technology start-up backed by its biggest investor, Mike Cannon-Brookes, are among parties vying for a share of $1 billion in taxpayer funds intended to kick-start the domestic solar panel industry.

March 28, 2024

AGL and Cannon-Brookes want to make solar panels at former coal power station

Energy giant AGL will partner with a technology company backed by its biggest shareholder, billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes, to assess building a first-of-its-kind solar panel manufacturing plant on the site of the decommissioned Liddell coal-fired power station.

March 28, 2024

Australia’s biggest coal generator teams up with SunDrive to make solar at Liddell

Australia’s biggest coal generator AGL Energy has teamed up with local solar innovator SunDrive to explore the joint development of a “first of its kind” solar manufacturing facility at the site of AGL’s former coal power precinct in the New South Wales Hunter Region.

March 28, 2024

A game-changer for Australian innovation and advanced solar manufacturing

SunDrive Solar welcomes the announcement today by the Federal Government of the $1bn Solar SunShot to support the establishment of a domestic solar manufacturing industry.

March 28, 2024

Dr Maia Schweizer joins SunDrive as Chief Commercial Officer

SunDrive is pleased to announce that Dr Maia Schweizer has joined as Chief Commercial Officer. Maia brings energy sector and startup scaling experience from prior roles at McKinsey & Company, Origin Energy, Fortescue Future Industries and CleanCo Queensland where she served as the inaugural CEO. Maia trained as a geologist and astrobiologist at Princeton, Caltech and Oxford.

November 8, 2023

ABC Radio National - Australian made solar cell production

Australian solar company SunDrive is a step closer to producing ultra-low cost solar cells, after securing an $11 million grant to scale up its solar cell production to a commercial level. Guest: SunDrive's CEO & co-founder Vince Allen.

November 4, 2023

Prime Minister of Australia and Minister for Climate Change and Energy officially open SunDrive Solar

Today the Prime Minister The Hon. Anthony Albanese MP and Minister for Climate Change and Energy, The Hon. Chris Bowen MP, officially opened SunDrive’s solar manufacturing pilot production and commercialisation facility in Kurnell, NSW, today.

November 1, 2023

Canva, Atlassian billionaires join Turnbull in solar hopeful

SunDrive, the start-up hoping to replace silver elements in solar cells with cheaper copper, has drawn the support of heavyweight investors as it raises $21m.

October 13, 2022

Dropping out of uni was the best thing this solar pioneer ever did

Vince Allen’s disruptive solar cell has broken world records and won investment from billionaires including Mike Cannon-Brookes. Now he’s determined to mass produce in Australia.

October 10, 2022

SunDrive achieves 26.41% efficiency with copper-based solar cell technology

Australian solar technology company SunDrive continues to impress with its copper-based solar cell technology, achieving 26.41% efficiency for a full-size silicon cell using mass-production compatible heterojunction technology.

September 5, 2022

“Huge moment:” Australia’s Sundrive claims new solar cell efficiency milestone

Australian start-up SunDrive, backed by tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes, has claimed another solar cell efficiency record, reaching the milestone 26 per cent mark for a full area commercial size solar cell for the first time.

March 18, 2022

SunDrive sets 26.07% efficiency record for HJT cell in mass production setting

Australian solar technology startup SunDrive has announced “a breakthrough” in mass production compatible heterojunction technology after recording an efficiency result of 26.07% with a silver-free, commercial-size silicon solar PV cell.

March 17, 2022

Australian startup SunDrive fabricates its first full-sized panel

Sydney-based startup SunDrive has given itself an early Christmas present in the form of the fabrication of its first full-sized panel. This panel marks the most recent milestone on the road to commercialization for SunDrive, which set a new world record for commercial-sized silicon solar cell efficiency in September.

December 24, 2021

SUNDRIVE FABRICATES FIRST EVER FULL-SIZE SOLAR PANEL

South Sydney solar cell start up SunDrive Solar has successfully fabricated its first ever full size solar panels. The company took to social media to reveal the news which is a milestone in the industrialisation of its solar technology. In September SunDrive claimed a new world record, producing a solar cell with an efficiency at turning sunlight into electricity for a commercial-size silicon solar cell of 25.54 per cent. SunDrive’s new cell is produced with copper rather than expensive silver, promising future cost reductions in manufacture.

December 16, 2021

Aussie startups take the spotlight at COP26

Some of Australia’s most exciting cleantech startups were showcased on the global stage.

November 11, 2021

Smashing solar records with SunDrive’s Vince Allen

The solar pioneers have set a new efficiency benchmark with their next generation cells.

October 20, 2021

Australian technology start-up creates world's most efficient solar cell while replacing silver with copper

Solar start-up engineer Vince Allen knew he and his team had made something special in their laboratories. Now they have the certification to say they have created the most efficient commercial-sized solar cell in the world.

September 21, 2021

SunDrive snares solar record ahead of funding round

A home-grown solar start-up backed by tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes has snatched the coveted world record for solar cell efficiency in a well-timed coup ahead of its next funding round to support the scale-up of its innovative technology.

September 13, 2021

Solar Startup Born in a Garage Is Beating China to Cheaper Panels

Australia-based SunDrive has made a materials breakthrough that promises to increase the efficiency and lower the cost of solar panels. About seven years ago, Vince Allen barged into the garage he shared with some flatmates in a Sydney suburb and set about trying to shake up the solar industry. He was at the time a PhD candidate at the University of New South Wales, and he had an idea for making solar panels much cheaper: replace the expensive silver typically used to pull electricity out of the devices with plentiful, cheap copper.

September 9, 2021

Efficient, affordable solar cells born in Sydney garage

Some of Australia’s biggest renewable energy investors are backing a new high efficiency, low cost solar panel technology. The low cost of solar panels from affordable solar cells is transforming the way we generate electricity, but a Sydney startup is banking on new technology to drive prices down even further.

October 26, 2020

Get in touch

Contact Us