Australia Prize winner talks about solar cells at UQ seminar
University of Queensland graduate and co-winner of the 1999 Australia Prize Professor Martin Green will give a public seminar at the University's St Lucia campus on Thursday, March 11.
Professor Green will discuss recent developments in photovoltaics at the seminar at 4pm in Room 50-N201 in the Hawken Building. Executive Dean of the Engineering, Physical Sciences and Architecture Faculty, Professor Andrew Lister will chair the seminar.
Prime Minister John Howard presented the 1999 Australia Prize in the field of energy, science and technology to Professor Green and Professor Stuart Wenham, both of the University of New South Wales, in February.
At the presentation ceremony, Professor Green spoke warmly of his UQ mentor and supervisor of his first-class honours degree in electrical engineering (awarded in 1970) the late Professor Morris Gunn. Professor Green also completed his master of engineering science degree at the University of Queensland in 1971 before being awarded a PhD at McMaster University in Canada in 1974.
Professor Green and Professor Wenham have invented or co-invented seven distinct cell technologies over the past 15 years. They have held the world record for solar cell efficiency for more than a decade and worldwide sales of products using their innovative technology are expected to total billions of dollars over coming decades.
Before their ground-breaking work on solar cells in the 1980s, the technology had stagnated for more than 20 years with the world's best solar cells converting only 15 per cent of sunlight into electricity. This was thought to be the highest efficiency that practical cells could achieve.
Last year, cells produced by the Green and Wenham team at University of New South Wales' Photovoltaics Special Research Centre achieved 24.5 per cent efficiency, the current world record by a large margin.
Their Buried Contact Solar Cells have dominated some of the major solar car races across the world over the past decade. The cells produce up to 30 per cent more energy than competing technologies, they are 20 per cent cheaper to produce, and last year they became the largest manufactured solar cell technology in Europe.
Each of the homes in the Athletes' Village for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games will generate its own electricity using solar cells developed by Professors Green and Wenham.
A home solar power package using thin film, multilayered solar cells developed by the two researchers will be released in 2002. This power will bring a substantial price reduction for those buying into solar power technology.
While a student at the University of Queensland, Professor Green won the IREE Sir Ernest Fisk prize for the honours thesis judged the best in electronics and communications.
Emeritus Professor Mat Darveniza of the University's Computer Science and Electrical Engineering Department, and a member of the Australia Prize selection committee said Professor Green was an "outstanding student" at the University. The first PhD student Professor Green supervised, Dr Bruce Godfrey, was also a former University of Queensland student.
Professor Green will meet members of the UQ solar car SunShark team while at the University of Queensland. He will also attend a function organised by the Queensland division of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, one of four learned academies and institutes of which he is a fellow.
Media contact: Professor Mat Darveniza, telephone 07 3378 4610
