Martin Andrew Green (born 20 July 1948) is an Australian engineer who specialises in photovoltaics. He is a Scientia professor of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), where he directs the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics. Green is best known for his development of the Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC) in 1983, a technology that significantly increased the conversion efficiency of silicon solar cells, reduced the cost of solar energy and powers over 90% of all solar panels globally today.

He is widely considered the "father of modern photovoltaics", and has won many prizes and awards achievements such as Pawsey Medal in 1981, the M. A. Sargent Medal in 1994, the Japan Prize in 2021 and the Millennium Technology Prize in 2022. Green is one of the world's most highly cited researchers (top 0.1% in field) and has been an author or co-author of over 800 research papers in the field of photovoltaics. He is editor-in-chief of the academic journal Progress in Photovoltaics and holds fellowships with the Royal Society of London, the Australian Academy of Science, the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering and the Royal Society of New South Wales.

Early life and education Martin Andrew Green was born in Camp Hill, Queensland on 20 July 1948.

He was educated at the selective Brisbane State High School, where he graduated as dux of the school in 1965. At the University of Queensland, he completed a Bachelor of Engineering in1970 and a Master of Engineering in 1972. He then completed his PhD on a Commonwealth Scholarship at McMaster University in Canada, supervised by John Shewchun, where he demonstrated that traditional silicon solar cell p-n junctions could be advantageously replaced by tunnelling metal-insulator-semiconductor structures.

Research In 1974, at the University of New South Wales, he set up the Australia's first solar research lab, the Solar Photovoltaics Group, which worked on the development of silicon solar cells. In the late 1970s, his group was developing world record cell voltages by using tunnel oxide passivated contacts (now known as TOPCon). In 1983, using the tunnelling approach, Green and Andrew Blakers developed the first 18% efficient silicon cell, surpassing the previous record of 16.5%. Since then, his team has developed the world's first 19%, 20%, 21%, 23%, 24% and 25% efficient silicon cells, which were amongst his 14 successive world records in the area.

In 1983, he developed the Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC), a solar cell with passivated emitter and rear surfaces. In 1989, his team published the first paper on PERC technology, which had 22.8% efficiency, the highest ever reported for a silicon cell. As of 2021, his PERC solar cell that he invented accounts for 91.2% of worldwide silicon solar module production.

In 1984, he developed the buried contact solar cell at UNSW with Stuart Wenham, produced 30% more energy than competing technologies and 20% cheaper to produce. In the 1990s, the technology was the largest manufactured solar cell technology in Europe.

Green has also made several theoretical contributions to the field, including the first identification of Auger Recombination as placing the most severe bounds on silicon cell performance, developing the methodology to calculate these bounds and discussing cell designs capable of limiting performance. He was also the first to explore "non-ergodic" light trapping schemes based on the crystallographically-defined pyramidal structures used in all modern silicon cells.

Green has supervised over 120 PhD students who have contributed to the field of photovoltaics, including:

Andrew Blakers who helped develop the first 18% efficient silicon cell Stuart Wenham who developed the use of lasers in cell processing and the large-scale commercialisation of copper plating Richard Corkish, the CEO of the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics Alistair Sproul, Head of School of Photovoltaics and Renewable Energy Engineering at UNSW Shi Zhengrong, Chairman and CEO of Suntech Power Aihua Wang and Jianhua Zhao who worked on the PERC technology which they won the Queen Elizabeth Prize for and founders of China Sunergy Ximing Dai, Chief Technology Officer for JA Solar Holdings Xiaojing Hao, Professor of Photovoltaics and Renewable Energy Engineering at UNSW

Green is currently the editor-in-chief of the academic journal Progress in Photovoltaics.

Awards and honours

Awards Green has received many awards including:

1981: Pawsey Medal (Australian Academy) 1981: Edgeworth David Medal 1988: Award for Outstanding Achievement in Energy Research 1990: IEEE William R. Cherry Award 1991: Eureka Prize for "outstanding contribution to the development of high efficiency photovoltaic solar cells" 1992: CSIRO External Medal, alongside Dr Stuart Wenham 1994: Clunies Ross Technology Innovation Award 1994 M. A. Sargent Medal 1995: IEEE J.J. Ebers Award for "sustained technical leadership in the field of silicon photovoltaic solar energy conversion" 1999: Australia Prize in the energy science and technology theme with Dr Stuart Wenham 1999: Sir Lionel Hooke Award 1999: World Federation of Engineering Organizations Medal of Engineering Excellence (inaugural award) 2000: Gold Medal from the Spanish Engineering Academy 2000: Millennium Award from the World Renewable Congress 2001: Centenary Medal "for service to Australian society and science in photovoltaics 2002: Right Livelihood Award for "his dedication and outstanding success in the harnessing of solar energy, the key technological challenge of our age." 2003: Karl Böer Solar Energy Medal of Merit Award from the University of Delaware 2004: World Technology Network Award for Energy 2006: Finalist, European Inventor of the Year, together with Dr Stuart Wenham 2007: SolarWorld Einstein Award 2008: New South Wales Scientist of the Year Award 2008: New South Wales Science & Engineering Award in the category of Environment, Water and Climate Change Sciences 2009: ENI award 2009: Zayed Future Energy Prize finalist, recognised at the award ceremony for his groundbreaking research in photovoltaic (PV) technology that will result in increased efficiencies, bringing solar energy closer to grid parity. 2010: CSIRO Eurkea Prize for Leadership in Science 2012: Collaborative Innovation Award, together with Dr Stuart Wenham 2012: Member of the Order of Australia "for service to science education as an academic and researcher, particularly through the development of photovoltaic solar cell technology, and to professional associations." 2013: Fellow of the Royal Society of London

His nomination for the Royal Society reads: 2015: James Cook Medal of the Royal Society of New South Wales for his "significant contribution to photovoltaic science and technology" 2016: Ian Wark Medal and Lecture 2018: The Global Energy Prize for research, development and educational activities in the field of photovoltaics that have revolutionized the efficiency and costs of solar photovoltaics, making this now the lowest cost option for bulk electricity supply 2021: Japan Prize for "development of high-efficiency silicon photovoltaic devices" 2022: Millennium Technology Prize for his invention of Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC) 2023: Leigh Ann Conn Prize by the University of Louisville, for low-cost, high efficiency silicon solar cells 2023: Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering for his invention of PERC solar photovoltaic technology, alongside Andrew Blakers, Aihua Wang, and Jianhua Zhao. 2023: VinFuture Prize along with M. Stanley Whittingham, Rachid Yazami, and Akira Yoshino for "pioneering the breakthrough in green energy production with the invention of solar cells enhanced by Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact (PERC) technology" 2024: Sydney Ferries named a brand new Parramatta River-class ferry after Martin Green 2025: IET Faraday Medal for "his outstanding and sustained work in the field of renewable energy"

Honours Green is also a fellow at many academic institutes including:

1989: Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1991: Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science 1992: Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering 2013: Fellow of the Royal Society, London 2017: Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales 2018: Celebrated Members of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Electron Devices Society

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Further reading