Widely recognized as the Father of Modern Photovoltaics, Professor Martin Green of the University of New South Wales (UNSW) has won the 2022 Millennium Technology Prize from the Technology Academy Finland for his leadership in the development of PERC solar cell technology.
He beat 39 other nominees from the fields of life sciences, energy and the environment, ICT and smart systems, and new materials, processes and manufacturing to win the prize that's worth €1 million and is presented every 2 years. Green has now become the 1st Australian to win the European award.
The UNSW Professor led the teams that developed PERC technology that's today considered the bedrock of the world's energy transition. Over the years, further improvements in this technology have helped increase the conversion efficiency of standard solar cells by over 50% in relative terms from 16.5% in the early 1980s to 25% in the early 2000s.
PERC cells accounted for over 91% of the global production of silicon solar modules.
"The rapid cost reductions in solar energy that my work has facilitated have come just in time, right at the point when the importance of acting immediately to address climate change has become overwhelmingly obvious," said Green. "I believe the Prize will increase my credibility as a spokesperson for what needs to be done to address climate change."
Green and his team are now working on tandem cell technologies to reach 40% solar cell efficiency (see Reverse-Bias Challenges For Perovskite Cells).
In June 2022, UNSW's Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics (ACAP) secured AUD 45 million government funding to work on its 30 30 30 goal, under which it targets to achieve AUD 0.30 per W total solar cost by 2030 (see ARENA's $45 Million For $0.30/W Solar Cost).
In Sept. 2022 in Milan, Italy, Green was awarded the WCPEC Award for his advancements in photovoltaic science and technology, which was given on occasion of the 8th World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion with co-sponsorship of the IEEE Electron Device Society, European Commission and the PVSEC Advisory Committee, Japan.