A semiconductor scientist with the School of Photovoltaic & Renewable Energy Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia, Thorsten Trupke has been announced as the winner of the IEEE William Cherry Award, named after late William R. Cherry known as the founder of the US PV community and a pioneer of using PV systems for terrestrial applications.
Engineering professor Trupke has been selected for his significant contribution to the field of PV science and technology. Trupke is credited with having invented photoluminescence (PL) imaging to help identify hidden faults and defects affecting solar cells and silicon wafer performance, in 1 second or less.
As a Co-Founder of BT Imaging with another UNSW Adjunct Associate Professor Robert Bardos, Trupke is said to have commercialized the technology in 2007, which a UNSW statement claims to be a standard method now used in practically all PV research labs and cell manufacturers, thereby contributing to the competitiveness of the solar industry. Already in 2018, TaiyangNews a market overview on this technology as part of its TaiyangNews Market Survey Luminescence Imaging Systems 2018.
Trupke said his team will continue to work on characterization and quality control of silicon wafers, solar cells and modules, to help guarantee photovoltaics as a reliable source of energy into the future.
Another UNSW Professor Martin Green, who invented PERC cell technology and is hailed among many as the 'Father of Photovoltaics,' has also been a past recipient of the same award. The Cherry Award is presented annually during the IEEE PVSC solar conference, the US part of the three large scientific solar technology conference in America, Europe and Asia. The 48th IEEE PVSC virtually took place in June 2021.