Andrew Blakers (FAA FTSE) is Professor of Engineering at the Australian National University. In the 1980s and 1990s he co-produced silicon solar cells with world record efficiencies. He was joint winner of the top global engineering Queen Elizabeth Prize in 2023 for PERC solar cell technology. PERC comprises half of all solar panels ever made, and has cumulative panel sales of US$150 billion, and is mitigating 2-3% of global greenhouse gas emissions through displacement of coal. Prof Blakers engages in analysis of energy systems with 80-100% penetration by wind and solar photovoltaics supported by storage for which he was joint winner of the 2018 Eureka Prize for Environmental Research. He and his team developed a global atlas of a million off-river pumped hydro energy storage sites which is highly influential in the renewable energy storage industry, with projects stemming from the atlas worth tens of billions of dollars. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.

Employment: Engineering at ANU (1991-); Fellowships: ARC Senior (ANU, 1992-97); ARC Queen Elizabeth II (UNSW, 1986-91); Alexander von Humboldt (Max Planck Institut für Festkörperforschung, Germany, 1989-90); Radio Research Board (UNSW, 1984-86).

Recent distinctions

• Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (2023)
• Eureka Prize for Environmental Research (2018)

• Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, the Australian Institute of Physics, the Australian Institute of Energy and the Royal Society of New South Wales

Grants and industry engagement

• Design & fabrication of the 1st reported silicon solar cells with 18%, 19%, 20% and 22% efficiency
• First author of the first 3 papers for PERC silicon solar cell technology which is used in half of all solar panels every made. Cumulative PERC sales are ~$250 billion. PERC modules are mitigating about 2-3% of global emissions through displacement of coal generation.
• Co-inventor of Sliver solar cell technology, the subject of a $240 million commercialisation effort by Transform Solar (Origin Energy & Micron) ($12 million royalties paid to ANU)
• Founded the solar cell research group at ANU in 1991 (currently 60 staff and PhD students)
• Research funds procured since 1979 (as a Chief Investigator, current dollars) ~A$160 million
• Leading the 100% renewable energy futures group and the global pumped hydro energy storage project

BSc, PhD

- Solar photovoltaic energy: silicon solar cells, solar concentrator systems, PV tandems
- Energy policy, economics and markets
- Research and public discussion around 100% renewable energy futures and the dominant role that this plays in reducing greenhouse emissions.
- Off-river pumped hydro as a very large-scale low-cost and mature energy storage technology to support 100% renewable energy futures.

Recent short articles and papers are here