At the moment, the capital cost of large-scale solar installations would need to be halved to make them comparable to gas-fired power stations, according to The Australian Financial Review.

The program was first mooted in November 2010 following the annual US/Australia ministerial discussions, which included US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

They set up a United States-Australia Solar Energy Collaboration, with an Australian contribution of up to $50 million to be managed by the Newcastle-based Australian Solar Institute.

The ASI was established by the Australian government in 2009 at Mayfield West in Newcastle. Its remit includes provision of PhD and post-doctoral scholarships, information dissemination and networking opportunities and investment in solar projects.

Melbourne-based tenders specialist TenderSearch says applications for the latest funding rounds, in two groupings, close on February 29 and March 8, 2012.

For the first segment, a strategic research initiative, the ASI is seeking expressions of interest for two long-term collaborative national research programs, one in the photovoltaic field and one in concentrated solar power.

Shortlisted proposals will be invited to submit more detailed proposals by May this year.

Those successful will be expected to collaborate with and manage nodes of research in various institutions as part of a national technology strategy. This will include collaboration with a US partner and alignment with a program of the US Department of Energy.