A new Australian-made solar framing system is turning heads not just for its engineering, but also for its low-carbon footprint and circular economy credentials.
Solar Waves is a utility-scale solar deployment innovation developed by Sydney-based clean-tech company Green Energy Systems (GES).
This patented, prefabricated solution scraps traditional solar racking hardware like nuts, bolts, screws, or clamps, in favour of interlocking aluminium profiles that snap together.
The system is made entirely from Capral Aluminium’s low-carbon LocAl™ Green aluminium, delivering a streamlined, recyclable structure designed for automation.
GES founder and CEO Glenn Carless says the innovation was born from necessity and a willingness to re-imagine solar.
“We immediately recognised that by combining the PV panel frame with the racking system, we could produce something that was stronger, lighter, cheaper – and that formed an entire waterproof roof,” Carless says.
“Traditional fixings are a barrier to automation. Robots don’t like dexterous tasks like tightening bolts. We had to eliminate them to make full factory automation possible.”
That vision is now being realised. Solar Waves is the chosen technology for Project Nexus in California, a landmark trial to cover thousands of miles of irrigation canals with solar panels.
The pilot, led by Solar AquaGrid, has the potential to generate 20 gigawatts of solar power and prevent billions of litres of water loss through evaporation.
GES’s role is pivotal.
“They’d spent two years and $20 million looking for a viable solution,” Carless says.
“We’re delivering a plug-and-play system that arrives fully prewired, preassembled and ready to roll out. You connect the plug at one end, and that’s it.”
“It’s a complete solar appliance.”
Aluminium reinvented
Key to this breakthrough is Capral’s LocAl™ Green aluminium – locally extruded aluminium sourced from primary aluminium smelters using alternative energy sources. Its embodied carbon is capped at eight kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilogram (kg CO₂e/kg), with an even lower ‘Super Green’ option, also available
with a maximum of just 4kg CO₂e/kg.
“LocAl is our response to the growing demand for materials with lower embodied emissions,” says Leanne Cannarella, Industrial Account Manager at Capral.
“Solar developers like Glenn build their entire business on sustainability. It only makes sense that the materials match that ethos.”
Unlike traditional aluminium, which in Australia can average up to 20kg CO₂e/kg due to coal-based smelting, LocAl is part of Capral’s strategic shift to greener sourcing. Though currently imported, Capral is pushing for domestic production of low-carbon billet by the end of the decade.
“We’re proud to be the first Australasian extruder certified to the ASI Performance and Chain of Custody standards,” Cannarella says.
“It means our LocAl aluminium is responsibly sourced, and emission verified.”
Precision profiles, not heavy hardware
The Solar Waves system uses custom-designed Capral aluminium extrusions, engineered to fit together like modular components.
“One of the incredible benefits of aluminium is the ability to create highly detailed, intricate profiles,” says Cannarella.
“That allows for snap fits and grooves, eliminating the need for mechanical fasteners.”
This combination of design detail and extrusion precision has allowed GES to halve the material content compared to traditional solar racking systems, while still achieving Category Five cyclone strength ratings.
“All we use is aluminium, nothing else,” says Carless.
“We’ve managed to make the system stronger than everybody else’s, even though we’re using about half the amount of material.
“The unique profiles slide and click into place. There are about 20 different components, and that’s it – no extra steel, no concrete.
“Capral’s ability to produce tight tolerances was essential,” he says.
“We even solved a friction issue by adding micro-fluting to a ball-joint fitting, just to allow smooth robotic handling.”
The resulting modular units – dubbed ‘MegaWaves’ – can be deployed in hours, drastically reducing installation time and labour. GES estimates its in-factory assembly cost is just two cents per watt, compared to 20 to 30 cents using conventional methods.
From paddock to canal, via the vineyard
While most large-scale solar is destined for paddocks, GES has broader ambitions. Its technology is adaptable to rooftops, reservoirs, car parks, and even elevated agrivoltaic systems – where solar panels float above crops to provide shade and water protection.
“We’ve been approached by universities for trials over vineyards. Our panels form a waterproof roof that can collect and redirect rainwater,” Carless says.
“We use that water to irrigate or – and this is another big one – to clean the panels.”
The built-in cleaning system recycles rainwater through a small DC pump and internal jets along the panel ridge.
“Dirty panels can lose up to 30 per cent of their efficiency over time,” Carless says.
“Cleaning saves up to $1 million per megawatt over 30 years – and ours is the only system with an integrated solution.”
Australian collaboration with global impact
For Capral, supporting innovation in renewables is a deliberate strategy.
“We want to partner with companies like GES who are pushing sustainability forward,” Cannarella says.
“That’s why we’re in marine, transport, construction – and now renewables.”
GES’s first factory, currently in planning, is expected to produce 400 megawatts of Solar Waves systems annually – equivalent to $400 million in product.
“It’s not just a few window frames. This is large-scale manufacturing,” Carless says.
“And it’s local. Because our system uses less material, we can afford to buy Australian aluminium and still beat the rest on price.”
Futureproofing through circular design
GES’s all-aluminium system is fully recyclable at end of life – a key contrast to rival technologies that rely on concrete, galvanised steel or complex composites.
“There’s no other utility-scale system that is 100 per cent recyclable,” says Carless.
“And because we’ve eliminated complexity, the second life of our panels will be even cheaper than the first.”
Capral is also working to boost circularity. It has signed agreements with Rio Tinto’s Boyne Smelter to remelt post-production scrap into billet with a minimum of 20 per cent recycled content. While barriers remain – especially in energy use and emissions at local smelters – the company is working with upstream suppliers to lift the share of recycled aluminium in its products.
A new path for Australian manufacturing
Carless sees real potential for Australia to lead in low-carbon solar manufacturing, if automation is embraced.
“We can’t compete with Chinese wages, but we can with robots. If we fully automate, we can win on speed, quality, and cost,” he says.
“We don’t need people tightening bolts. We need technicians overseeing machines.”
Capral’s team agrees.
“Our job is to provide the materials, the design support, and the partnerships that make ideas like Solar Waves possible.”
This Australian collaboration could well signal a new frontier where clean energy, low-carbon materials and smart manufacturing come together, not just to compete, but to lead.