ANU solar pioneer wins Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering

Professor Andrew Blakers. Photo: Jamie Kidston/ANU An internationally renowned expert in solar energy from The Australian National University (ANU) who helped transform the efficiency of solar cell technology has been honoured with the world's most prestigious engineering prize. Professor Andrew Blakers from the ANU College of Engineering, Computing and Cybernetics, his former PhD supervisor Professor Martin Green from UNSW Sydney, Dr Aihua Wang and Dr Jianhua Zhao have been awarded the 2023 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QEPrize) for development of Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC) solar photovoltaic technology. PERC technology is easy to manufacture and can produce more electricity compared to other solar technologies. After decades of improvements and input from many scientists and companies, PERC is now the most commercially viable silicon solar cell technology used in solar panels and accounts for about 90 per cent of the world's solar cell market, making it the global standard.  "This is such an honour for me, and a testament to the many wonderful people I have worked with over the years. As a PhD candidate and postdoctoral researcher working on high efficiency silicon solar cells at UNSW in the 1980s, it was a fantasy to imagine that our work could have a global impact," Professor Blakers said.  "I am delighted to share this prize with Professor Green, Dr Wang and Dr Zhao who have made major contributions to solar energy over many decades." Fast forward four decades and PERC solar cells have underpinned exponential growth in high performance, low-cost solar electricity adopted right around the world.