His Majesty King Charles III presented the 2023 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QEPrize) to a group of researchers whose work has transformed photovoltaic technology, helping make clean solar power cheaper and more accessible around the world.
Martin Green, Andrew Blakers, Aihua Wang and Jianhua Zhao received the award for the invention and development of their Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC) technology.
Solar panels using photovoltaic cells have been around since the 1960s, being deployed in spacecraft before they were used on Earth.
Efficiency was limited by a number of factors, however, including the fact that photon-generated electrons were constantly being lost through the panel’s back layer.
To combat this effect, PERC added an additional layer to help prevent the loss and reflect unused photons back into the device’s silicon element where more electrons could be generated.
The practical effect was to increase the efficiency of photovoltaic cells from 14% in the 1980s to 25% today.
In the process, this helped cut the cost of solar by 80%, and PERC technology is now used in almost 90% of the global solar cell market.
Solar is now one of the cheapest and greenest forms of energy available and is seen as playing a key role in the path to global decarbonisation.
Awards also recognised inventor of world’s most powerful magnet
The awards ceremony, which took place last week, is the first since King Charles took the throne and also recognised the winner of the 2022 QEPrize.
Dr Masato Sagawa was responsible for the discovery and development of neodymium magnets (NdFeB).
These are the most powerful permanent magnets currently available and can be found as key components in everything from wind turbines and electric vehicles to robots and smartphones.
Lord Browne of Madingley, chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation, called the two innovations “truly groundbreaking”.
He added that both represented the main purpose of the QEPrize as they are “fundamental in our day-to-day lives and integral to ensuring a more sustainable future”.
He said that the magnet was present in almost every wind turbine and electric vehicle, while PERC had helped make solar the world’s cheapest form of electricity.
Dame Lynn Gladden, chair of the QEPrize Judging Panel, said the prize was dedicated to recognising “the greatest engineering achievements and their transformational impact on the world in which we live”.
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