Martin Green (professor) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Martin Green
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Martin Green in 2015
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Martin Andrew Green
20 July 1948 Brisbane, Australia
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| Citizenship | Australian |
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| Thesis | Properties and applications of the metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) tunnel diode (1974) |
| Doctoral advisor | John Shewchun |
Martin Andrew Green (born 20 July 1948) is an Australian engineer and professor. He teaches at the University of New South Wales. He is famous for his work on solar energy and making solar cells better. In 2021, he won the Japan Prize. This award was for making very efficient silicon solar cells. He also leads an important science magazine called Progress in Photovoltaics.
Early Life and Education
Martin Green was born in Brisbane, Australia, on July 20, 1948. He went to Brisbane State High School. After that, he studied at the University of Queensland. He then moved to Canada to get his PhD degree from McMaster University. There, he focused on studying solar energy.
Making Solar Cells Better
In 1974, Professor Green started a special group at the University of New South Wales. This group worked on making silicon solar cells. These are the parts that turn sunlight into electricity.
In the 1980s, his team found many new ways to make solar power work better. They made solar cells much more efficient. Many of his students later became very important in the solar industry, especially in China. One famous student was Shi Zhengrong.
Professor Green has written several books about solar cells. Some are for everyday people, and some are for deep scientific study. In 1984, his team at UNSW created a new type of solar cell called the "buried contact solar cell." This was a big step forward.
Awards and Recognitions
Martin Green has received many important awards for his work. These awards show how much he has helped the world with solar energy.
- 1981: Pawsey Medal
- 1999: Australia Prize
- 2002: Right Livelihood Award. This award recognized his amazing success in using solar energy. They called it "the key technological challenge of our age."
- 2012: He became a Member of the Order of Australia. This was for his service to science and his work on solar cell technology.
- 2013: He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of London. This is a very high honor for scientists.
- 2018: He won the Global Energy Prize. This was for his research that made solar cells more efficient and cheaper. This helped solar energy become a low-cost way to get electricity.
- 2021: Japan Prize
- 2022: Millennium Technology Prize
- 2023: Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering. He shared this award for inventing the PERC solar cell technology. He also won the VinFuture Prize for the same invention.
- 2024: A new Parramatta River-class ferry in Sydney was named after him.
