Priority 2: Knowledge and skills

Summary of actions

New actions

  • Building Future Battery Capabilities 
  • Support to deliver the Australian Made Battery Precinct
  • Future Made in Australia:
    • Innovation Fund
    • Skilling the Clean Energy Workforce 
    • Expanding the New Energy Apprenticeships Program
    • Building Women’s Careers Program
  • Diversity in STEM Funding

Existing actions

  • Powering Australia Industry Growth Centre (PAIGC)
  • 10,000 New Energy Apprenticeships
  • Clean Energy Capacity Study
  • National Skills Agreement
  • Powering Australia Plan:
    • Capacity Investment Scheme
    • Community Batteries For Household Solar Program
  • Australian Energy Employment Report

Linked initiatives

  • National Science and Research priorities
  • Net Zero Economy Authority (NZEA)
  • CSIRO 
  • Cooperative Research Centre Program 
  • Economic Accelerator 
  • Australian Research Council 
  • The Trailblazer Universities Program
  • The Startup Year Program
  • Australian Universities Accord

Opportunities

In 2020, only 6% of renewable energy jobs in Australia related to batteries (CEC 2020). Most of these jobs focused on small-scale distributed batteries. Just 1 to 2% of workers were in large-scale battery construction and projects (CEC 2020). Job supply is not meeting demand, with skill shortages and competition for talent in several key roles such as battery design, deployment and installation (CEC 2022). 

A thriving domestic battery industry needs a diverse range of professionals, including engineers, metallurgists and electricians. Australia has world-class universities, a substantial university-educated population and TAFE-based vocational education and training facilities. However, several of the most specialised battery‑relevant fields, such as engineering, are seeing declining graduate numbers (Accenture 2021). The government is therefore pursuing an ambitious skills agenda starting with the Jobs and Skills Summit in 2022 and outlined in the Working Future White Paper (2023). This is spearheaded by actions like $30 billion National Skills Agreement to ensure Australia has the skills for a renewable energy workforce.

To attract the talent needed, Australia must create and foster an inclusive and diverse workforce. Improving gender diversity in our manufacturing workforce at all levels can improve business performance, address workforce shortages and improve the economic security and social wellbeing of underrepresented groups (AGEC 2022).  For this reason Australia is a member of Equal by 30, which is a commitment to work towards equal pay, leadership and opportunities for women in the clean energy sector by 2030 (DCCEEW 2024).

Australia is home to world-leading research institutions and R&D capabilities. Australia ranks highly in the Global Innovation Index for institutions (17th) and human capital and research (7th) (Dutta et al. 2023). 

Our researchers have a strong track record pioneering new battery technologies. Australia ranks 18th in the world as a filer of battery patents, and 10th as a jurisdiction for patent protection by global applicants (IP Australia 2023).

Battery innovation is critical to improving the efficiency, cost and safety of energy storage, and creating new ways to use electricity. Such innovations will create new, high value commercialisation and export opportunities for our battery industry. Lowering costs will further improve the competitiveness of firmed renewable energy.

Globally, there is a shortage of battery workers with the right skills.  The grid will need 19GW of storage to hit 82% renewables by 2030 (AEMO, 2023). This means that Australia must expand its battery workforce to support battery industries and meet the growing demand for batteries. Training programs can help ensure we meet the emerging skills needs of the battery industry. 

Supporting workers in regional Australia and carbon-intensive industries to transition to clean energy manufacturing roles can help Australia meet future workforce needs. The Net Zero Economy Authority (NZEA) will broker investments that create jobs in key regions and support workers affected by the net zero transition. This will include assisting workers directly impacted by the closure of some coal and gas-fired power stations to access new employment. 

Australia already has substantial knowledge that applies to battery mineral mining and refining processes (FBICRC 2021a). For example, Australia’s existing alumina industry uses a crystallisation process that is similar to what is used to manufacture precursor cathode active materials, creating particles of a high purity chemical. Skills in these adjacent industries can transfer to clean energy manufacturing and can be leveraged to improve Australia’s battery manufacturing capabilities. 

Australian innovations in battery technologies

Australian research institutions have a strong track record in battery innovation, ranging from technology to use and system integration. 

In the 1980s, Professor Maria Skyllas-Kazacos and her research team at the University of NSW developed a new type of flow battery using vanadium. Forty years later, this type of battery is starting to become more mainstream. It is especially useful in stationary energy storage, where it is safe, reliable, long-lasting and scalable. Vanadium flow batteries are projected to capture around 10% of the global battery storage market in 2040 (IEA 2021).

Other battery technologies, such as sodium ion batteries and new flow battery chemistries, as well as battery manufacturing and recycling innovations, are also in development across the research sector. Australian intellectual property is a source of advantage for local battery manufacturing. Australians have filed 332 patent families related to battery technologies since 2015, putting us 18th in the world as a filer of battery patents globally (IP Australia 2023). 

What we are doing

Australia has the technical expertise and research skills to support innovation along the whole battery value chain. For example:

The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Advanced Battery Facility (ABF) was established in 2017 and comprises of battery research, development, state-of-the-art testing equipment and leading capabilities and expertise. Specifically, the ABF offers commercial partners and collaborators access to:

  • Research and development services for battery active materials
  • Production of battery active materials at pilot scale
  • Support with scale-up of battery active material processing/manufacturing
  • Benchmarking, qualifying and testing services for battery active materials
  • Prototyping of lithium-ion batteries in coin-cell, pouch cell and cylindrical cell formats
  • Research and development services for battery modules/pack assembly and BMS integration
  • Cell/module/pack testing for batteries

Austvolt’s dedicated Cathode Precursor (pCAM) Pilot Plant in Technology Park, adjacent to Curtin University, is producing qualification samples for some of the world’s leading battery manufacturers and automotive OEM’s. Concurrently, Austvolt is working with local and international engineering companies, and equipment manufacturers to design and build a 40ktpa pCAM Plant at their site in the Kwinana Industrial Area, 40km south of Perth, Western Australia.  When operational, the plant will have the capacity to produce pCAM for in excess of 500,000 electric vehicles per year. The cathode is a vital, high value battery component, making up over 40% of the cost of lithium battery cells (Benchmark Minerals 2023). The quality of the cathode is crucial for battery performance and safety. PCAM and cathode active materials (CAM) are essential to manufacture cathodes for lithium-ion batteries.

The Battery Research and Innovation Hub at Deakin University has world-class, purpose‑built research facilities. These support battery research, development and design, including pilot‑scale cell manufacturing and commercialisation of energy storage technologies. A cell is the smallest assembled unit of a battery – it stores and generates electricity. Making battery cells is a high-precision advanced manufacturing process.

The Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program at the Australian National University is working to develop decarbonised and resilient energy systems. It is pioneering pathways for integrating and optimising energy storage in electricity grids and electricity markets. This includes doing social research, designing and applying policy, and economic modelling to support energy and battery storage. 

CSIRO is revolutionising advanced electrochemical systems with FASTER – an autonomous testing, screening and evaluation robot to develop battery electrochemical materials. With this technology, CSIRO can test 400 electrolyte chemistries in the span of a weekend.

Battery technologies are evolving quickly as manufacturers seek to improve the stability and performance of their batteries. Research bodies are also advancing technologies and developing marketable products across the battery value chain. The government is taking action to harness our deep technical expertise and supercharge our high value battery innovations. 

Organising industry-research collaboration

The demand for battery technologies to meet specific uses will continue to grow. To realise this potential, industry and researchers will need to collaborate. 

Australia has a long history of industry-research collaboration through its Cooperative Research Centres (CRC), including battery manufacturing research undertaken by the FBICRC.

The National Battery Strategy aims to develop entire industry innovation ecosystems around a critical mass of infrastructure and expertise. 

Australian researchers collaborating with industry partners are already making major breakthroughs:

  • Gelion’s lithium sulfur, lithium silicon sulfur, and zinc hybrid batteries for energy storage and e-transportation use, in partnership with the University of Sydney. 
  • Feline is an Australian advanced manufacturer of lithium-ion cells and battery packs. Feline’s advanced next generation lithium-ion batteries deliver high performance and safety over what is commercially offered, in partnership with Defence Science and Technology Group.
  • In collaboration with CSIRO, Energy Renaissance’s Australian-made battery management system (BMS). The BMS is the nerve centre of the battery, responsible for managing a battery’s operations to ensure it is safe, optimised, and cyber-secure. 
  • Sicona Battery Technologies acquired silicon composite battery anode IP from the University of Wollongong in 2020 and has since been scaling up the manufacturing of this next generation battery anode material. The Company closely collaborates with the University of Wollongong on various research activities. Sicona’s SiCxTM battery materials technology delivers +20% increase in energy density over conventional graphite only lithium ion battery cells and a +40% faster charge rate.

Existing actions

  • The Powering Australia Industry Growth Centre will facilitate partnerships between governments, research institutions, and industry to drive the development and adoption of renewable technologies in Australia. 
  • 10,000 New Energy Apprenticeships, which will grow a workforce that will support our clean energy transition.
  • The Clean Energy Generation Report, which outlines current and future workforce challenges for Australia. This report gives analysis and insights to support workforce planning as Australia transitions to a net zero economy (JSA 2023).
  • The Australian Energy Employment Report, which addresses critical challenges for the energy workforce. This includes attracting and keeping workers by offering quality careers and improving coordination between the Australian, state and territory governments (DCCEEW 2023). 
  • The National Skills Agreement, which is a joint agreement between the Commonwealth, states, and territories, includes up to $30 billion in funding to the VET sector over 5 years. This includes a $12.6 billion investment from the Commonwealth Government, which includes a priority of supporting the Net Zero transformation.
  • The Capacity Investment Scheme, which provides a national framework to encourage new investment in 9GW of clean dispatchable capacity, creating a clear project pipeline for jobs.
  • The Community Batteries for Household Solar program, which provides $224.3 million in funding for 400 community batteries. As a program delivered in part by ARENA, it includes a knowledge sharing requirement to advance technology and commercial readiness in the battery sector.
  • Australia’s Jobs and Skills Councils, which give industry a stronger voice to ensure Australia’s vocational education and training (VET) sector has better outcomes for learners and employers.

Linked initiatives

  • The National Science and Research Priorities are under review and will likely highlight the need to develop and harness emerging technologies, including energy storage, to support the transition to net zero. 
  • The Net Zero Economy Authority will promote an orderly and positive net zero economic transformation for Australia, its regions, industries, workers and communities. Supporting green industry with transferable skills to clean energy manufacturing and improving Australia’s battery manufacturing capabilities.
  • CSIRO gives funding and advice to support research and commercialisation of battery technologies.
  • The Cooperative Research Centres Program gives grant funding for short to long-term, industry‑led research collaborations.
  • The Strategic Examination of R&D will present an opportunity to further explore how industry and government can leverage Australia’s comparative advantages to catalyse greater levels of R&D investment, including R&D in areas like battery related technologies.
  • Australia’s Economic Accelerator targets funding for projects aligned with national research priorities with high commercial opportunity.
  • The Australian Research Council (ARC) gives competitive grant funding for basic and applied research, promotes research-industry collaborations, and evaluates the impact of university research.
  • The Trailblazer Universities Program will build new research capabilities, create commercialisation outcomes and invest in new industry engagement opportunities.
  • The Startup Year Program builds a pool of knowledgeable new entrepreneurs. 
  • The Australian Universities Accord outlines an ambitious tertiary education reform agenda to transform the Australian higher education system.

What we will do

Government actions will support Australia’s world-leading research expertise to develop and commercialise new Australian-made battery technologies. This will help domestic manufacturers capture cutting edge, high value opportunities to grow the battery industry and create more well-paying jobs.

The government will capitalise on the success of existing research and industry collaborations by setting up the Australian Made Battery Precinct and committing to build future battery capabilities. These initiatives bring business and research together to collaborate on batteries. This will target battery research towards areas of demand. Together, we will transform more great Australian ideas into successful battery products and services.

New actions

  • The $20.3 million Building Future Battery Capabilities measure will include support for battery innovation and scale up as well as the development of workforce training. The delivery of targeted training will support Australia’s workforce to develop and maintain the necessary skills for battery manufacturing, deployment, maintenance, safety assessment and recycling. 
  • The government has committed $5.6 million to conduct options analysis and research to support the delivery of the Australian Made Battery Precinct, in partnership with the Queensland Government. By supporting collaboration between industry and researchers, the precinct will help develop the knowledge and skills needed for an innovative and future-ready workforce.
  • The government’s Future Made in Australia agenda includes the following actions to support battery technology innovation and workforce development:
    • $1.7 billion Innovation Fund which over 10 years from 2024–25 will support innovation, commercialisation, pilot and demonstration projects and early-stage development in priority sectors – including batteries. This is on top of $1.5 billion over 10 years from 2027–28 to supercharge ARENA’s core investments. ARENA’s work advances industry knowledge and commercial readiness in clean energy technology.
    • $91 million over 5 years from 2023–24 (and a further $0.6 million over three years from 2028–29) to support the development of the clean energy workforce, including through addressing vocational education and training sector trainer workforce shortages, and funding new and existing training facility upgrades across a range of clean energy occupations.
    • From 1 June 2024, expanding the New Energy Apprenticeships Program to provide incentives that encourage more people into sectors that are playing a critical role in transitioning Australia to a net zero economy. 
    • $55.6 million over 4 years to establish the Building Women’s Careers Program to support women achieve high-paying careers in key male-dominated industries such as construction, clean energy, technology and digital, and manufacturing.
  • Providing $38.2 million over eight years from 2023–24 (and $1.3 million per year ongoing) to provide funding for a range of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs to increase diversity in STEM education and industries.