Zero

The Godfather of Solar Predicts Its Future

“As an academic, you want to push things to the limit,” says Martin Green, director of the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, on this week’s Zero.

Professor Martin Green, director of the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics.

Photographer: Anna Kucera
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Setting world records. Combing through warehouses of old electronics. Seeding the Chinese solar industry from afar. This is the life of Martin Green, a professor at the University of New South Wales in Sydney and the director of the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics.

Green’s work on solar panel design made the modern solar industry possible: 90% of solar panels made last year were based on his designs. He’s still going strong, too, regularly breaking new records in the pursuit of the perfect solar panel.