Professor Xiaojing Hao FTSE
Professor, School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of New South Wales (NSW)
Professor Xiaojing Hao is a world expert in solar technology and has helped establish Australia’s global leadership in this field.
Silicon solar panels represent 95% of the market. While silicon is almost ideal for converting light into electricity, thin flexible materials are also needed in applications where silicon isn’t suitable. Xiaojing has set five world records for solar cell efficiency using thin film kesterite materials.
More clean electricity can be generated by incorporating thin film cells into coatings for the sides of buildings or moulding them onto vehicles. Also, layering thin film cells onto silicon cells can generate 20% more electricity from the same area. Xiaojing led the development of numerous kinds of such thin film cell alternatives maximising the chances of success for next-gen solar cell technologies.
Xiaojing has won the Australian Academy of Science’s Pawsey Medal and the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science: Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year.