Australia has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lead the world in cleantech manufacturing and deployment, reducing not just domestic emissions but also capturing the significant long-term economic growth, energy security, and export market opportunities within rapidly growing global cleantech supply chains. Australia is well-positioned to do so with our abundant natural resources, rich reserves of raw minerals and existing strengths in innovation, research and development.
However, speed and scale are critical. An ambitious rollout of cleantech will decarbonise the economy and build a prosperous Australia. BZE’s Deploy research highlights six key technologies—batteries, wind, solar, heat pumps, electric vehicles, and electrolysers—that can drive the rapid reduction of emissions this decade.
Among these, batteries and wind power hold the greatest potential to transform major industries. Large-scale battery storage will stabilise the grid and enable greater penetration of renewables, while expanding wind energy—onshore and offshore—can provide the reliable, low-cost power needed for industrial electrification.
However, the supply chain opportunities extend far beyond these two technologies. Local manufacturing of solar components, heat pumps, and electrolysers can spur economic growth while ensuring Australia captures the value of the clean energy transition. Our research on five cleantech supply chains found that not only do we already produce a lot of the minerals and materials that go into these cleantech, we already process and create the components – and assemble them here too. It is time to build on these strong foundations and realise Australia’s potential to shift from a major exporter of emissions, to a major exporter of emissions-reducing technology.
Acting on opportunities to support the growth of five onshore cleantech supply chains now could generate $215 billion in revenue and create 53,000 jobs by 2035. We can secure the livelihoods of those in our industrial heartlands and keep billions in the Australian economy while progressing towards a zero-emissions future. Read our report, Make It Here: Building Australia’s Clean Industrial Future to find out how this can be made a reality.
– Beyond Zero Emissions
Read more stories from the April 2025 issue of Impact Leadership magazine.
