News & Events - Past News
2006
The School’s text book, Applied Photovoltaics (2nd Edition) is newly available in a corrected edition from London based Earthscan for the global market. The new book, by School staff Stuart Wenham, Martin Green, Muriel Watt and Richard Corkish, is an important aid to the rapidly growing renewable education sector and transition into Chinese is already underway.
NSW Premier Morris Iemma last week announced the NSW Renewable Energy Target – a new policy intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions attributed to NSW electricity users and boost the renewable energy industry, particularly in rural and regional NSW. Renewable energy targets will be 10 per cent of NSW electrical consumption by 2010 and 15 per cent by 2020. http://www.deus.nsw.gov.au/Publications/NRET%20Explanatory%20Paper%20FINAL.pdf
Prof. Stuart Wenham won the prestigious 2006 World Technology Award for Energy - individual category. He acknowledged the contribution of our team of world class researchers in our Centre who have made our UNSW achievements possible and also our industry collaborators such as Suntech-Power, CSG Solar, BP Solar, etc. for their work in commercialising our various technologies.
"Broadly speaking I think the award emphasizes the importance now being given world-wide to renewable energy technologies and more specifically photovoltaics as an important and viable energy source for our planet for the future." says Prof. Wenham. "At a more personal level the award gives great encouragement for the work we are doing at The University of New South Wales as it points to the importance and perceived value of the PV technologies we have been and are developing. This is particularly so when recognising that the nominators and judges for this award are our peers world-wide who are the recognised leaders in our field. This aspect makes the award to me particularly important and satisfying.”
The World Technology Network website: http://www.wtn.net/2006/summit/index.php.
An official party led by Chinese Vice Minister of Science and Technology
and Vice President of the Central Committee of Public Interest Party
of China visited the School’s laboratories on Friday 3 November.
The Vice Minister was interested to learn at first hand more about the
School’s current and future collaborative activities with Chinese
companies, universities and institutes.
Today the Prime Minister announced Australian Government in-principle
funding of up to $4.6m for a project that builds international expertise
in solar energy engineering. The project has been endorsed by the Asia
- Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate (AP6), and will
be led by the UNSW School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering.
The project will address the demand for competent photovoltaic and solar energy engineers in the Asia-Pacific region. Manufacturers face great difficulty in finding trained and educated staff with the skills to design, operate, and especially, fault-find production systems. This is a significant impediment to the commercial uptake of renewable and distributed generation technologies in AP6 Partner countries. The Australian Government will support the University of New South Wales to offer several scholarship schemes to international PhD students, Masters students, and undergraduate engineering students from AP6 Partner countries.
A booklet summarising the AP6 Action Plans and the projects is available online at http://www.dfat.gov.au/environment/climate/ap6.
Suntech Power Co., based in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China, has made a $1.5m gift for research at the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering. The CEO of the company, Dr Zhengrong Shi, is a PhD alumnus of the solar photovoltaics research group at UNSW and now leads the largest solar cell manufacturer in China and one of the largest in the world. Dr Shi has also recently offered to provide scholarships for study at the School, additional to those that Suntech Power already provides, and staff of the company are translating one of the School’s textbooks for distribution in China.
The School greatly values its mutually trusting relationship with Suntech Power and especially the company’s exemplary treatment of intellectual property issues.
Suntech Power Co.: http://www.suntech-power.com/en/zlsc.html
Dr Zhengrong Shi: http://www.suntech-power.com/en/gysy_01.html
A major Australian company, Mirvac, this week signed an agreement with the Faculty of Engineering and this School to sponsor a scholarship for a new student in the Bachelor of Renewable Energy Engineering program. Mirvac is a leading integrated real estate group with activities across the real estate, funds management and hotel management spectrum. Executive Director, Mr Nicholas Collishaw, Director of Engineering and Operations Investment Division, Mr Chris Luscombe, and Group Health Safety & Environment Manager, Dr Ross Trethewy attended the ceremony at UNSW on behalf of Mirvac and the Dean of Engineering, Prof. Brendon Parker and the Head of School, Dr Richard Corkish represented UNSW. The Vice President of Academic Affairs at Chiang Mai University, Thailand also attended the ceremony as an observer. The School thanks Mirvac for the new scholarship and hopes to work together with the company in future for a better environment.
Scholarship details and application form is available
here:
http://www.scholarships.unsw.edu.au/future/undergrad_local/faculty/engineer/OtherENGUndergraduateLocalFirstyear.html.
Head of School, Dr Richard Corkish, was an invited keynote speaker at the recent "High Level Closed Conference" within the 2006 International Cooperation Summit for Asia-Pacific CEOs & Provincial Governors and Mayors, held in Wuxi, China. Dr Corkish stressed the excellent existing and possible future cooperations between the School and Chinese businesses and tertiary education institutions. Wuxi is the home to the outstandingly successful Chinese/Australian company and research partner and sponsor of the School, Suntech Power, led by UNSW alumnus, Dr Zhengrong Shi. Former Australian Prime Minister, Mr Bob Hawke, was elevated to the position of Global Chair of the Asia-Pacific at the same closed conference.
Further information: http://www.ap-summit.org/
Congratulations to our graduates who attended their graduation ceremony on the 19th September. The School had 4 graduates from the undergraduate Photovoltaics and Solar Energy program, 4 graduates from the Master of Engineering Science degree, one Masters by Research graduate, one Doctor of Philosophy graduate, and our first ever graduate from the newest undergraduate Renewable Energy Engineering program. We wish all our graduates the best with their future careers.
The School acknowledges the generous gift of $2,000 made by Darcy and Patricia Wentworth to the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering to establish a beneficial fund to provide support to one of the final year projects undertaken by a UNSW student, including the following fields of study:
- Hybrid cars
- Domestic wind generators to charge hybrid car battery
- Assessing energy efficiency and economics: ethanol vs biodiesel
- Use of LPG and natural gas for vehicle use
- Selection the best algae for biodiesel in Australian conditions
- Development of a hybrid bicycle.
First year students of SOLA1070 experienced applied renewable energy up close aboard the Solar Sailor on Sydney Harbour. Solar Sailor is a revolutionary ferry boat propelled by electric motors, powered by solar photovoltaics and wind, with gas engine backup. The aerodynamic sails, covered with solar cells, are tilted and adjusted to catch the wind like a yacht. The owner and chief engineer were both aboard to explain the design and operation to the students.
The annual Jack Beale Memorial Lecture is being held Tuesday 25th July from 6.00pm in the Clancy Auditorium, UNSW.
This years lecture is the first of the Jack Beale Memorial Lecture series. Distinguished Professor Steve Rayner (James Martin Professor of Science and Civilisation, University of Oxford) will give an interesting presentation entitled "Wicked Problems, Clumsy Solutions: diagnoses and prescriptions for environmental ills". This years first Memorial Lecture will discuss the different approaches needed to overcome the complex and persistent environmental problems that face the world in the 21st century. All relevant information (the official invitation) is available through http://www.ies.unsw.edu.au/events/Jack_Beale_lecture_invite_WEB.pdf.
Six managers of Science and Technology Offices from leading Chinese universities toured UNSW’s photovoltaics laboratories on 11 July as part of a visit arranged through the China Australia Middle Manager Program. They were hosted at SPREE by Dr Richard Corkish and Alison Taylor from the UNSW International Office.
Randwick City Council is leading by example when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and utilising sustainable energy solutions, encouraging residents to switch to solar energy by recently installing a new system to power one of its buildings. The new system is the first step in a larger ten-kilowatt photovoltaic project that is currently underway and due to be completed later this year. These projects are being supported by the School of Photovoltaic and Rewable Energy Engineering though Randwick Council’s Sustainability Agreement with the University of New South Wales. More information is on Randwick City Council's website.
7 June 2006: UNSW yesterday signed a consulting collaboration agreement with a new Chinese solar cell manufacturer, JingAo Solar Co. Ltd., of Ninjing, Hebei Province. Negotiations are underway on a research collaboration too. The consulting agreement will see staff and students from UNSW working on improving the production process at JingAo, which makes screen printed wafer-based silicon cells in a new factory that was officially opened in May 2006.
On 28 May the Head of School visited China's Hebei
Province to help celebrate the opening of the new solar cell factory
of Jing Ao Solar Co. Ltd. in the rural town of Ningjin. The
grand opening was performed by Mr. Li, Deputy Chairman of the National
Political Party Conference and was attended by a phalanx of National,
Provincial and Local officials, customers, equipment suppliers and factory
workers. The event was shared with the celebration of the 10th anniversary
of the associated Jinglong Group of companies, a major producer of silicon
wafers.
The School is discussing potential collaborative opportunities with
the Jing Ao company.
School of Photovoltaics and Renewable Energy Engineering
researchers were awarded the Outstanding Poster Award in the Area of
Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells at the international 4th World Conference
on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion, held in Wiakaloa, Hawaii in May,
2006. The poster bested
almost 200 other entries in the same category.
Florence Chen, the lead author on the poster and paper, said "The
project brought together my work on high-quality Silicon Nitride coatings
for solar cells with the work of my colleagues on Photoluminescence
Imaging techniques. It was an exciting and dynamic collaborative project
between two groups at the Centre of Excellence, exactly the kind of
collaborative environment that attracted me to study a PhD at UNSW".
Jeff Cotter, Thorsten Trupke and Robert Bardos also contributed to the
poster and paper.
Professor Martin Green has been awarded one of this year’s prestigious ARC Federation Fellowships, making him one of the first researchers to receive this honour for the second time.
Professors Martin Green and Stuart Wenham from the Faculty of Engineering have been ranked among the world’s best inventors in the European Inventor of the Year awards. The developers of the world’s most efficient solar cells were among the top three contenders for a prize in the non-European inventors category.
On Friday 28 April 2006 the School was honoured by a visit by a delegation from China’s Hebei Province, including the First Vice Governor of the Province, Mr Guo Geng Mao, and the Board Chairman and General Manager of the Jinglong Industry and Commerce Group, Mr Jin Baofang. The People’s Government of Hebei Province has a very active interest in photovoltaic energy and is home to some important manufacturers, including the Jinglong Group, a major producer of silicon wafers.
IoP electronic journals has recently conducted an interview with Dr Kylie Catchpole from Centre of Excellence for Advanced Silicon Photovoltaics and Photonics, UNSW. Read more of the interview with Dr Catchpole at IoP electronic journals - 60 seconds with ... Authos Edition.
Over 100 year 10 and 11 students visited our School on the 29th March as part of the UNSW Faculty of Engineering High Schools Day. The aim of the day is to increase the high school students' awareness of different streams of Engineering which can be studied at UNSW. This is achieved through hands on activities and demonstrations. Find out more about the High School's Day.
On the 28th March another group of students graduated from the School's educational programs. 12 students graduated from undergraduate degrees in Photovoltaics and Solar Energy, 7 with Honours Class 1, and 3 with Honours Class 2 Division 1. 2 students also graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy. Congratulations to all graduates and we wish you luck with your future endeavours.
On Wednesday 22nd March, the 2005 Prize Winners of the annual Photovoltaics prizes received their awards at the monthly Overview meeting of the School. Roland Utama received the Photovoltaics Thesis Prize, Adeline Sugianto was awarded the Photovoltaics Prize in Applied Photovoltaics, and James Willett received the Steve Robinson Memorial Prize.
Dr Hermann Scheer, father of the German energy revolution, member of Parliament and Germany Alternative Nobel Prize Winner will lead a Renewable Energy Panel Discussion with Senator Christine Milne and Alternative Nobel Prize Winner Prof. Martin Green on Friday, 24 February 2006 in Leighton Hall - the Scientia, UNSW Kensington campus.
Two delegations from China have visited the School of Photovoltaic
and Renewable Energy Engineering in the past week, strengthening the
school’s close existing ties with the country.
Head of school, Dr Richard Corkish, also met up with Science and Technology
Minister Xu Guanhua, on a harbour cruise organised for last week's official
visit to Sydney.
The students of the 2006 Indigenous Australian Engineering Summer School visited the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering on Friday 20 January. The high school students, selected from around the country, spent the time in groups constructing small but realistic solar home systems, each comprising a photovoltaic module, charge controller and battery, to power loads such as televisions, radios and fans. Find out more about participants' feedback.
Two high-profile leaders took time out from their tight schedules during last week's Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate's Inaugural Ministerial Meeting to learn more about our internationally renowned Centre for Photovoltaic Engineering.