- This month marks the 50th Anniversary of the discovery of the technology that changed the production of solar panels!
- It is the scientific breakthrough that is now the basis of over 90% of all the world's silicon solar panels.
- In 1974, Martin Green was a PhD candidate in the Department of Engineering at the University of NSW when he began his interest in solar energy.
- While there were solar panels already available their efficiency in terms of energy produced (watts) was extremely low. He set out to remedy this. His research focussed on how to increase the number of photons of light energy hitting a solar module: the more photons absorbed by a solar panel and converted to electrons the more watts of electricity produced - the more energy-efficient the solar panel.
- Principles that he developed then have been used by he and his team to gradually increase the energy-efficiency of solar panels by more than 50%. He and his team of solar engineers have held the world record for silicon solar cell energy-efficiency for 30 of the last 39 years.
- Now Scientia Professor and Director of the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics Martin Green has won many international awards for his research and developments in photovoltaic energy. His pioneering 1974 work is listed as 'One of the Top 10 Milestones in the History of Solar Photovoltaics'.
- A founding member of the Department of Photovoltaics in the Engineering Faculty of the University of New South Wales he has supervised more than 1200 PhD candidates from countries across the world. They have become leaders of photovoltaic energy companies and agencies in their own countries - particularly China where one of his students is known as the 'Solar billionaire'!
- He was also central in the development of the world-first undergraduate degree in photovoltaic engineering. There are currently 500 students from various countries enrolled in the degree.
'Electrifying Bradfield' salutes you Martin Green - and thanks you for all your wonderful work in helping so many countries in their journeys to transition to renewable solar energy- and our Planet Earth thanks you also! Enjoy your 50 years celebration! It is richly deserved. We wish you every success in your continuing research and development.
[by Dr David Smith, for 'Electrifying Bradfield Inc.']
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