Million-euro tech award goes to Green

A one million euro technology prize has been awarded to an Australian professor, for an invention that has transformed the production of solar energy, reported Xinhua.

Technology Academy Finland (TAF) announced on Tuesday that the 2022 Millennium Technology Prize has been awarded to Professor Martin Green from the University of New South Wales.

The prize was awarded to Green by President Sauli Niinistö.

"The pace of the green transition is accelerating, and the world will switch to solar and wind electricity in the coming decade. I believe that a huge, historically significant change is taking place," said Green at the award ceremony.

Green is regarded as a leader in the development of the "Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC)."

The PERC has become the most commercially viable and efficient silicon solar cell technology used in solar panels, and for large-scale electricity production. It accounts for almost 90 percent of the global solar cell market.

The PERC has helped increase the conversion efficiency of standard solar cells by over 50 percent in relative terms, from 16.5 percent in the early 1980s to 25 percent in the early 2000s.

The innovation has greatly reduced the cost of using solar panels, making solar energy more affordable than fossil-based alternatives. PERCs mean homes do not need to be connected to the grid to receive energy supply, which is helpful for remote communities.

Green and his team are currently working on combined cell technologies to achieve 40 percent solar cell efficiency, by exploring options such as stacking cells on top of each other.

Professor Minna Palmroth, chair of the Board of Technology Academy Finland, said that Green's innovation will continue to improve the quality of life of billions of people globally, and enhance environmentally sustainable development.

The Millennium Technology Prize, awarded once every two years, was created by the Finnish government in 2002 to honor individuals and groups that have made significant contributions to the fields of science and technology, and particularly to highlight innovations that enrich everyday life.