Martin Green's research has led to significant advancements in solar panel efficiency, making them more cost-effective and competitive with other forms of electricity generation.
Martin Green's students, through joint ventures and leveraging his expertise, have played a crucial role in establishing China as the world's largest solar manufacturer.
Deep dives
The Godfather of Solar: Martin Green's Revolutionary Impact
Professor Martin Green, known as the godfather of solar, has played a crucial role in the development and commercialization of solar technology. His lab at the University of New South Wales in Sydney has been responsible for groundbreaking inventions and advancements in the field. For several decades, Martin and his team held the world record for silicon cell performance, and their inventions have accounted for 90% of the solar panels produced last year. Through his students and their joint ventures with Chinese companies, Martin has played a key role in establishing China as a powerhouse in solar manufacturing.
Technological Advancements in Solar Cell Efficiency
Martin's research efforts have focused on increasing the efficiency of solar cells. He has developed different types of cells, such as the Perk and Topcon cells, which have set new world records for efficiency. These cells are capable of converting more sunlight into usable electricity, making solar panels more cost-effective and competitive with other forms of electricity generation. The Perk cell technology has been widely adopted, while the Topcon cell is expected to overtake Perk production in the near future. Martin's ongoing research aims to further improve the efficiency of solar cells, with a recent breakthrough achieving a world-record tandem cell conversion efficiency of 40.6%.
The Impact of Chinese Collaboration and Global Solar Industry
Martin's students, particularly Dr. Jiang Rongxi, have played a pivotal role in the success of the Chinese solar industry. Through joint ventures and leveraging Martin's expertise, these students have established major solar manufacturing companies in China, including SunTech. Their efforts have catapulted China to become the world's largest solar manufacturer, accounting for almost half of global production. Martin emphasizes that the industry's success in China was driven by factors unique to the Chinese market, such as lower production costs and massive investment. However, he believes that other countries, like India, also have the potential to establish viable solar manufacturing industries. He also discusses the challenges posed by the rapid technological changes in the solar industry and the ongoing research on materials like perovskite, which show promise for even higher solar cell efficiencies.
Setting world records. Combing through warehouses of old electronics. Seeding the Chinese solar industry from afar. This is the life of Martin Green, a professor at the University of New South Wales in Sydney and the director of the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics. Green’s work on solar panel design made the modern solar industry possible: 90% of solar panels made last year were based on his designs. He’s still going strong, too, regularly breaking new records in the pursuit of the perfect solar panel. This week on Zero, Akshat Rathi sits down with the man many call “the godfather of solar” to hear firsthand how it happened, the next record he wants to break and whether solar panels are destined for space.
Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Oscar Boyd and our senior producer is Christine Driscoll. Special thanks to Jill Namatsi, David Stringer, Jenny Chase and Kira Bindrim. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit bloomberg.com/green.
