黑料网大事记

Martin and Judy Green in London, Martin holding the Faraday Medal Martin and Judy Green in London, Martin holding the Faraday Medal

黑料网大事记 solar pioneer wins top UK engineering prize

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Louise Templeton
Louise Templeton,

Scientia Professor Martin Green is recognised with a major international honour for his outstanding achievements in solar photovoltaics and driving the global shift to renewables.

黑料网大事记 Sydney鈥檚 Scientia Professor Martin Green, known worldwide as the 鈥渇ather of modern photovoltaics鈥, has received the Faraday Medal from the UK鈥檚 Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) 鈥 the organisation鈥檚 most prestigious honour. The medal recognises Prof. Green鈥檚 outstanding achievements in transforming solar power from a prohibitively expensive and niche technology to the world鈥檚 cheapest and most scalable source of electricity.

Prof. Green said it was a great honour to be awarded the Faraday Medal, arguably one of the world鈥檚 top gongs for engineering.

鈥淭hank you to the IET for this wonderful recognition. I鈥檓 exceptionally proud of the work my students, colleagues and I have accomplished throughout my 50 years at 黑料网大事记, and the achievements of everyone who has helped make solar energy the most practical and affordable weapon to combat global warming,鈥 Prof. Green said.

鈥淚鈥檓 delighted to join the ranks of earlier medallists such as Oliver Heaviside, George Thomson, Rookes Crompton, Ernest Rutherford, William Bragg, Irving Langmuir and Nevill Mott 鈥 names that have populated my textbooks throughout my engineering career.鈥

黑料网大事记 Dean of Engineering Professor Julien Epps congratulated Prof. Green on his selection for the Medal.

鈥淭hrough five decades of his own research, mentorship of students and colleagues and collaboration with industry to commercialise solar technology, Martin has been the constant driving force to deliver the world鈥檚 lowest-cost energy source 鈥 a vital tool in the global fight against climate change.

鈥淭his award affirms his place among the greatest engineers and scientists of our time,鈥 he said.

Scientia Professor Martin Green holds the Faraday Medal, awarded to him by the UK's Institution of Engineering and Technology for his outstanding achievements in solar photovoltaics, with his wife Judy Green in London. Photo: Supplied

Maximising energy from the sun聽

Prof. Green led the 黑料网大事记 teams that developed Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC) technology. PERC helped聽increase the efficiency of standard solar cells by more than 50% from just 16.5% in the early 1980s to 25% in the early 2000s. His teams鈥 innovations and advances in solar technology are considered instrumental in the global transition to renewable energy, with solar now the lowest-cost option for bulk electricity supply.

Prof. Green and his team were also the first to demonstrate and report on 鈥楾OPCon鈥 (tunnel-oxide polysilicon contact) solar cells, and together with PERC, these cells account for more than 90% of the world鈥檚 solar cells. Teams at 黑料网大事记鈥檚 School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering and its Solar Industrial Research Facility (SIRF) continue to produce world-leading research on silicon cells, as well as investigating the next generation of solar technologies. 聽

Prof. Green believes their current research could boost cell efficiency to more than 40%.

鈥淪ilicon cells are very good at converting red photons from sunlight but not so efficient at converting blue ones, since they waste a lot of their energy.

鈥淲e are working on stacking solar cells on top of each other, so they work in tandem to convert different parts of the solar spectrum into electricity.

鈥淪olar energy is already the cheapest electricity in history, but there鈥檚 still enormous scope for improvement. I鈥檓 determined to make it even more affordable and accessible for everyone so we can accelerate the shift away from fossil fuels and create a healthier, more sustainable future for all.鈥

Prof. Green has previously been awarded the Japan Prize, Millennium Technology Prize, Global Energy Prize and the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, shared with three of his former students.

Media enquiries

For enquiries about this story and interview requests please contact聽Louise Templeton.

罢别濒:听0413495994
贰尘补颈濒:听louise.templeton@unsw.edu.au