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Developers of PERC solar technology win 2023 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QEPrize)
Awarded annually, the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering is presented to engineers responsible for ground-breaking innovations that have been of global benefit to humanity. Celebrating its tenth year in 2023, the Prize announcement was made by Lord Browne of Madingley, Chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation.
The 2023 Laureates 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 that helped prevent recombination and further, reflected unused photons back into the silicon to generate more electrons.
In 1983, Green and Blakers at the University of New South Wales produced solar cells with 18% efficiency, surpassing the 16.5% recorded previously. 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%. Green's Lab at the University of South Wales held the global record for efficiency for 30 of the 40 years from 1983 to 2023, with Wang and Zhao leading the work which eventually reached Green's 25% efficiency target.
Recognising the important role PERC technology plays 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.
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 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. Solar energy provides a solution that is not only clean and sustainable, but accessible and affordable to the wider public.
The demand for solar energy is growing around the world. With global economies increasingly recognising its benefits, the IEA estimates global solar PV capacity to almost triple over the 2022-2027 period, becoming the largest source of power capacity in the world. Currently, Solar is providing about half of new-build electricity generation capacity worldwide.
Not only is solar being introduced into major national electricity grids but because of its low cost and easy installation, it is also being utilised in microgrids for communities across global low- and middle-income countries.
Marking a significant milestone for the QEPrize, Green, Blakers, Wang and Zhao receive this award on the Prize's 10 anniversary. Over the past decade, 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 the 2023 Create the Trophy winner Anja Brandl , a 24 year-old Masters Student from Switzerland .
To find out more about this year's winning innovation, visit www.qeprize.org/winners
A major new gallery exploring how engineers change the world will open at the Science Museum in London on 23 June 2023 . Marking the 10th anniversary of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QEPrize), the gallery will showcase previous winners of the prize, alongside some of the most exciting engineering innovations of recent years.
Sophie Isles
Edelman
Sophie.isles@edelman.com
[1] https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/11/renewable-energy-cost-fallen/
[2] https://www.iea.org/news/renewable-power-s-growth-is-being-turbocharged-as-countries-seek-to-strengthen-energy-security
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