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Australian solar pioneer Martin Green receives prestigious engineering award
Photovoltaics researcher from the University of New South Wales is awarded the Faraday Medal
29.10.2025
Source: EPV Magazine Australia
Australian solar researcher Martin Green from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney has been awarded the Faraday Medal by the British Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).
The award recognizes his pioneering achievements in photovoltaics and his decisive contribution to the global energy transition.
Green is considered the "father of modern photovoltaics". Under his leadership, the UNSW team developed PERC technology, which has increased the efficiency of solar cells by more than 50% since the 1980s. Together with the TOPCon technology introduced by his group, over 90% of all solar cells produced worldwide today are based on these innovations.
These advances have made solar energy the most cost-effective source of electricity in the world - with the price of solar modules falling by around 80 % in just one decade. Green's team is currently researching tandem solar cells that could achieve efficiencies of over 40% in the future.
UNSW Dean Julien Epps described Green as a key figure in the fight against climate change: "He has been shaping research, teaching and the commercialization of solar technologies worldwide for five decades."
Green has already been awarded the Japan Prize, the Millennium Technology Prize and the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering.
