Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Solar was once dismissed as a marginal technology. Today, it is transforming the global energy system, and few people have done more to make that possible than Professor Martin Green. Innovations developed by Green and his research group can now be found in over 90% of all the solar panels in use today
One of the pioneers of modern solar power, Green’s research has helped make solar panels dramatically more efficient and cheaper to produce. He joins Michael Liebreich to discuss how he got into solar, the breakthroughs that helped drive its extraordinary rise, and the remarkable story of how research carried out at an Australian university helped create the global solar manufacturing industry. They also look at where solar goes next, and whether the next generation of technology can make it even more powerful.
Topics discussed in this episode:
• The breakthroughs that changed solar
• Understanding solar cells and efficiency
• Racing NASA to new efficiency records
• Pioneering PERC and TOPCon technology
• How solar technology reached the market
• Suntech and the rise of Chinese solar
• The future of solar and batteries
• Which solar technology will dominate?
Leadership Circle
Cleaning Up is proud to be supported by its Leadership Circle. The members are Actis, Alcazar Energy, Arup, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Cygnum Capital, Davidson Kempner, EcoPragma Capital, EDP, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, Schneider Electric, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information about the Leadership Circle, visit cleaningup.live
Links
• Martin Green bio: https://www.unsw.edu.au/staff/martin-green
• Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics: https://www.acap.org.au/
• Professor Stephen Chu on Cleaning Up: youtube.com/watch?v=SPmgA5cjhfk
• NREL National Renewable Energy Lab chart: nlr.gov/pv/interactive-cell-efficiency
• Subscribe to our newsletter: cleaninguppod.substack.com
Acronyms
• PERC - Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell
• TOPCon - Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact
• NREL - National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Chapters
00:00 - Intro
02:14 - UNSW Research Group
10:25 - Innovations in Solar
13:12 - PERC & TOPCon Explained
19:26 - Efficiency Records & NREL Chart
23:48 - Birth of Chinese Solar
30:21 - The First Solar Billionaire
36:23 - Perovskite and Tandem Cells
48:12 - Australia's Missed Chance
50:13 - Outro
Music ID B4AJC8AUDLMMIFEB
Solar was once dismissed as a marginal technology. Today, it is transforming the global energy system, and few people have done more to make that possible than Professor Martin Green. Innovations developed by Green and his research group can now be found in over 90% of all the solar panels in use today
One of the pioneers of modern solar power, Green’s research has helped make solar panels dramatically more efficient and cheaper to produce. He joins Michael Liebreich to discuss how he got into solar, the breakthroughs that helped drive its extraordinary rise, and the remarkable story of how research carried out at an Australian university helped create the global solar manufacturing industry. They also look at where solar goes next, and whether the next generation of technology can make it even more powerful.
Topics discussed in this episode:
• The breakthroughs that changed solar
• Understanding solar cells and efficiency
• Racing NASA to new efficiency records
• Pioneering PERC and TOPCon technology
• How solar technology reached the market
• Suntech and the rise of Chinese solar
• The future of solar and batteries
• Which solar technology will dominate?
Leadership Circle
Cleaning Up is proud to be supported by its Leadership Circle. The members are Actis, Alcazar Energy, Arup, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Cygnum Capital, Davidson Kempner, EcoPragma Capital, EDP, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, Schneider Electric, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information about the Leadership Circle, visit cleaningup.live
Links
• Martin Green bio: https://www.unsw.edu.au/staff/martin-green
• Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics: https://www.acap.org.au/
• Professor Stephen Chu on Cleaning Up: youtube.com/watch?v=SPmgA5cjhfk
• NREL National Renewable Energy Lab chart: nlr.gov/pv/interactive-cell-efficiency
• Subscribe to our newsletter: cleaninguppod.substack.com
Acronyms
• PERC - Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell
• TOPCon - Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact
• NREL - National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Chapters
00:00 - Intro
02:14 - UNSW Research Group
10:25 - Innovations in Solar
13:12 - PERC & TOPCon Explained
19:26 - Efficiency Records & NREL Chart
23:48 - Birth of Chinese Solar
30:21 - The First Solar Billionaire
36:23 - Perovskite and Tandem Cells
48:12 - Australia's Missed Chance
50:13 - Outro
Music ID B4AJC8AUDLMMIFEB
