The Supergen Net Zero Conference took place over 1-3 September 2021. Researchers and stakeholders in renewables came together to preface COP26 with a showcase designed to connect research across the Supergens and build links with industry and policymakers.
The session curated by SuperSolar was chaired by Director Prof Mike Walls, who introduced Prof Henry Snaith, of University of Oxford, who spoke of the “Key challenges, resent progress and status of perovskite PV research and development.” Perhaps the most significant breakthrough of the Supergen programme, perovskites represent a next generation PV technology that is approaching the marketplace. This talk from one of the global leaders in perovskite research covers both the basic principles of perovskite PV and addresses the technical advantages and challenges for these materials, including an update of the journey towards the marketplace at Oxford PV.
Chris Hewett, of Solar Energy UK, whose talk “40GW of UK Solar: Policy challenges and opportunities on the road to 2030” discussed the state of play for the UK solar industry, explored solar’s role in making net zero a reality and what policy challenges currently exist to the industry and put forward recommendations for policymakers.
Finally, Prof Alison Walker, of University of Bath, spoke about “The Solar Commission – A bright future: opportunities for UK innovation in solar energy”. The Solar Commission is a unique partnership of leading academics, system operators and industry, supported by UKERC and managed by Regen. Its aim is to examine areas where the UK could use its scientific and technical capabilities to play a leading role in the innovation and industrial strategy opportunities being created by the rapid, global emergence of solar PV as a major form of power generation. It’s overriding message is that key areas of innovation in solar PV are closely interlinked and a systems approach is needed to maximise the UK’s potential in the sector.
The Solar Commission Report can be downloaded from: https://people.bath.ac.uk/pysabw/solarcommweb.pdf
A recording of this session and the other Supergen Networks (storage, hydrogen, bioenergy and networks) is available on the Bioenergy Supergen Hub website.