CEO, ARENA
Stories naming Darren Miller. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
The renewable energy agency is backing two companies with grants totalling $32.3 million to manufacture robots that build solar farms, with production hubs planned for Melbourne and Brisbane.
The renewable energy agency grants Equans Solar & Storage $25 million for Lightspeed, a three-year program trialling up to ten technologies to cut the cost of building and running large-scale solar farms.
ARENA is putting $8.2 million toward Electric Future's Go Electric pilot, which will trial a one-stop digital platform helping as many as 1,000 Canberra households move from gas to electric appliances.
EnergyLab unveils ten hardware-focused climate tech startups joining its 2026 Climate Solutions Accelerator, supported by $1.64 million from ARENA; alumni Infravision, Renewable Metals, Orkestra and Amber later received ARENA funding.
EnergyLab names ten hardware-focused climate tech companies joining its 2026 Climate Solutions Accelerator, which pairs seed investment with a six-month program. Several hold government grants, and Catch Power's 2024 purchase of Solar Analytics is recalled.
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ARENA's white paper update finds ultra low-cost solar is achievable but delivery speed and scale of big projects is now the main risk, highlighting supported work by 5B, Built Robotics, Nextpower and Luminous Robotics.
ARENA has conditionally awarded HAMR Energy $32 million toward engineering design for a plant turning forestry residues in Victoria and South Australia into methanol-based jet fuel and other low-carbon products.
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Orica will proceed with its Hunter Valley green hydrogen plant after a final investment decision, the first under Hydrogen Headstart; earlier government grants to it and CIP's Murchison are recalled.
Orica has reached a final investment decision for its Hunter Valley green hydrogen and ammonia project, confirming government grant support, while other planned Australian hydrogen projects advance slowly or have been abandoned.
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ARENA announced funding of up to $45 million for Sicona Battery Technologies to build a commercial-scale plant for its silicon-carbon anode material in the Illawarra.
The renewable energy agency commits a further $13.6 million grant to Amber Electric's vehicle-to-grid trial, lifting participation to 1,000 households, with carmaker BYD joining to work on charging standards.
ARENA grants $3 million to EDP Renewables Australia for a community microgrid combining solar and storage in Braidwood, NSW, meant to keep the bushfire-prone town supplied when the grid fails.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has granted EV charging startup ReadySteadyPlug $1.51 million toward a $3.49 million project installing as many as 428 charge points for apartment and strata residents.
ARENA is providing $11 million for two remote Northern Territory microgrid projects, at Borroloola and Ltyentye Apurte, co-developed with First Nations community organisations.
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ARENA's Battery Breakthrough Initiative backs its first two recipients: PowerPlus Energy gains $2.32 million to expand Victorian pack assembly, while Firebird Metals receives $2 million toward a Perth battery-materials plant.
ARENA awards Li-S Energy $7.86 million to advance lithium-sulfur battery production studies toward a proposed large-scale cell facility.
ARENA is giving PLS Group up to $38.1 million for a West Australian lithium processing demonstration plant that will trial Calix's electric-kiln technology to cut calcination emissions.
PowerPlus Energy, a Victorian battery maker, has received a government grant to help automate and expand its local production capacity.
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ARENA is granting MGA Thermal as much as $3.25 million to conduct engineering design studies advancing its heat-storage blocks toward commercial deployment with industrial customers decarbonising process heat.
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ARENA grants five industrial decarbonisation projects a combined $13 million, spanning brewery electrification, low-carbon laundry, pharmaceutical manufacturing, aluminium extrusion and biochar production, as a new round of its transformation stream opens.
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Australia's renewable energy agency is funding Calix's ZESTY demonstration plant with $44.9m, targeting low-hydrogen conversion of iron ore into low-carbon iron for greener steelmaking.
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ARENA grants more than $12 million to McCain Foods, Sugar Australia and Blackmores for projects replacing gas-fired heat with electric systems at their Victorian plants.
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ARENA grants Fortescue $10m toward 6 MW chargers for its big battery mining trucks, to be trialled at Hazelmere and Christmas Creek, with the project finishing in late 2025.
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ARENA awarded Luminous $4.9 million under its Solar ScaleUp Challenge to deploy its LUMI robot fleet at two Australian solar farms operated by Neoen and Engie.
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ARENA commits $30m as a conditional grant so VSPC, a Livium subsidiary, can build a demonstration plant making battery cathode powder near Brisbane.
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ARENA's media release marks a milestone in its funded project with Amber Electric: the first vehicle-to-grid charger installed in an Australian home, which the agency frames as transformative for the power system.
ARENA has awarded BluVein a $9m grant to trial its dynamic charging system for heavy electric mining trucks, aiming to cut diesel use in mining; the program's next round opens late 2025.
Government agency ARENA has awarded NewVolt funding of up to $25.3 million for truck charging hubs across Melbourne, backing fleet electrification under its Driving the Nation Program.
ARENA awards United Energy $3.54 million toward an $8 million Victorian trial of demand flexibility, covering hot-water control and dynamic solar export limits across three distribution networks, finishing in 2026.
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MGA Thermal, a NSW-based thermal energy storage developer, has received a $3.25 million grant from ARENA to fund engineering design studies aimed at commercialising its block-based heat storage technology for industrial use.
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ARENA announces grants for three electric-vehicle charging projects, with Flow Power the largest recipient, and reports grant recipient Zenobē has opened a Sydney depot for charging electric trucks.
Sunman Group wins $171 million in federal and NSW funding for a Hunter Valley solar panel factory; earlier grants to Tindo Solar, Stellar PV, Solquartz and SunDrive are also recalled.
ARENA announces a conditional grant of as much as $151m for Sunman Group to build a large solar module factory in NSW, under the federal government's Solar Sunshot program.
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The renewable energy agency will grant SunDrive up to $25.3 million to scale its copper solar cell technology with partners Maxwell and Vistar, adding to $14 million in earlier support.
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The renewable energy agency has committed as much as $45m to Fortescue's Pilbara solar testing hub, where demonstration projects with Built Robotics and 5B will trial construction robotics and rapid-deployment solar technology.
Melbourne battery maker Relectrify has launched its inverter-free AC1 commercial battery, supported by a $25 million ARENA grant and a fresh $2.9 million federal grant to extend the technology into electric vehicles.
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The renewable energy agency has awarded A$25 million to Melbourne battery firm Relectrify to roll out its inverter-free AC1 storage systems, building on earlier agency funding that helped develop the technology.
ARENA is putting as much as $3.96m into Lab 360 Solar, a UNSW spin-out whose drones photograph solar panels in daylight to catch cell-level faults; a fresh $60m solar R&D round is open.
ARENA awards Mondo Power a $12.3 million grant to build and run a shared electric truck charging hub for heavy freight vehicles in Melbourne's west, delivered through the Driving the Nation Program.
Canberra will open a second $150 million Solar Sunshot round for PV component makers, while recapping earlier awards to 5B, Tindo Solar, Stellar PV, Solquartz and Energus.