Professor Martin Green, Professor Andrew Blakers, Dr Aihua Wang and Dr Jianhua Zhao won the 2023 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QEPrize), the prize organisers announced yesterday evening (7 February).
The engineers won the award for their research work and development of Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (Perc) solar photovoltaic technology, which has underpinned the recent growth of high-performance, low-cost solar power.
Over the last 40 years, the 2023 laureates have greatly improved the energy conversion efficiency of commercially dominant silicon cells, by improving the quality of both the top and the rear surface of standard silicon solar cells. Perc introduced an additional layer on the back surface, which helped prevent recombination and reflected ‘unused’ photons back into the silicon to generate more electricity.
Working at the University of New South Wales in Australia in 1983, professors Green and Blakers produced solar cells with 18% efficiency, surpassing the previous record of 16.5%. Over the next few years, they published cell results of 19% and 20% efficiency, and theoretically determined the maximum achievable efficiency to be close to 30%. Prof Green’s lab held the global record for efficiency for 30 of the 40 years from 1983 to 2023, with doctors Wang and Zhao leading the work which eventually reached Green’s 25% efficiency target.
Recognising the important role Perc technology would play in the development of solar energy, the awardees published their findings with no patent, encouraging further developments within the field and driving down the cost of production to the benefit of wider society.
“As engineers, we are constantly striving to improve the world we live in,” said Prof Green. “As the world feels the devastating impacts of our changing environment and collapsing ecosystems, I feel passionately that more must be done to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and keep up with the trajectory of human civilisation. I hope that Perc technology winning the QEPrize will open many people’s eyes to the possibilities of renewable energy.”
Awarded annually, the QEPrize is presented to engineers responsible for groundbreaking innovations of global benefit to humanity. Celebrating its tenth year in 2023, the prize announcement was made by Lord Browne of Madingley, chairman of the QEPrize foundation.
“The QEPrize aims to inspire a new generation of engineers, and I hope that this year these engineers will be inspired, like me, to create solutions that can help us tackle the biggest challenges faced by humanity, such as climate change,” said Prof Blakers.
Through continued research and development, and the help of many others worldwide, the 2023 laureates have significantly reduced the costs of solar panels, with the cost of solar power generation falling by over 80% in the past decade.
“Perc technology is now the most commercially viable and efficient silicon solar cell technology used in solar panels and large-scale electricity production, and accounts for almost 90% of the global solar cell market,” the QEPrize announcement said.
The increased adoption of solar energy, alongside other renewable energies, is key to reducing more than three-quarters of present day global emissions and reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050, as called for in the Paris Agreement. Demand is growing around the world – the IEA estimates global solar photovoltaic capacity will almost triple over the 2022-2027 period, becoming the largest source of power capacity in the world. Solar is already providing about half of new-build electricity generation capacity worldwide.
The power source is also being used in microgrids for communities in low- and middle-income countries. “I’ve been working in Eastern Africa for the last few years and have seen the transformative impact solar cell technology can have on people’s lives on the continent,” said QEPrize judge Dr Abdigani Diriye. “Solar cells and Perc technology will allow people to access cheap, affordable electricity, improving their quality of life significantly. This is a tremendous innovation which will impact more than a billion people’s lives, which encapsulates the values of the QEPrize.”
Lord Browne said: “The QEPrize celebrates the engineers who time and time again solve the impossible and transform our world for the better. Perc solar technology is one of those innovations. I believe that everything we do has to be oriented around the global energy transition, so we can achieve net zero, for the planet and the people that live on it. This year’s innovation has been and will continue to be integral to this journey.
“We are in the process of global energy transition, with Perc and solar power in the front seat, and I wholeheartedly congratulate professors Green and Blakers, and doctors Wang and Zhao for their contribution to humanity.”
The winners received the award on the prize’s tenth anniversary. Over the past decade, the QEPrize has honoured 20 engineers whose innovations have had a significant impact on billions of lives around the world.
The 2023 laureates will be formally honoured at the QEPrize presentation ceremony later this year. They will receive £500,000 and a unique trophy, designed by Anja Brandl, a 24-year-old masters student from Switzerland.
“Over the last 10 years, the QEPrize has highlighted the importance of engineering to better society,” said Professor Dame Lynn Gladden, chair of the judging panel.
“This year’s winners… encapsulate the aims of the QEPrize perfectly. They are behind the development and commercialisation of Perc technology, which has helped to drive the supply of clean energy around the world as part of the drive to mitigate the impacts of climate change. The future of solar cells is enormous and could make major contribution to delivering net zero emissions.”
A new gallery exploring how engineers change the world will open at the Science Museum in London on 23 June 2023. The Engineers gallery will showcase previous winners of the prize, alongside some of the most exciting engineering innovations of recent years.
Want the best engineering stories delivered straight to your inbox? The Professional Engineering newsletter gives you vital updates on the most cutting-edge engineering and exciting new job opportunities. To sign up, click here.
Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.