harnessinglight tcm18 111597
Harnessing Light
Solar energy for a low carbon future
www.rsc.org
Registered Charity Number 207890
Harnessing Light
Solar energy for a low carbon future
‘‘Solar energy is the only energy source that is essentially pollution free and distributed across the planet.’’
Climate change, energy security, and a looming energy gap are all driving research and development into clean, renewable energy supplies. Scientists and engineers are looking at how to harness sunlight to help meet society’s demands to mitigate all of these potential problems.
An RSC policy seminar, chaired by Professor
Robin Perutz, began by looking at how the field first developed and what challenges still need to be met. Professor Anthony Harriman of the University of Newcastle introduced the field of photochemistry and issues of funding and trained scientists. Exploitation of laboratory research was discussed by
Professor Sir Richard Friend of Cambridge
University, and new developments in solar cell technology were presented by
Professor Michael Grätzel, from the Ecole
Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne. Finally, how nature produces energy from sunlight and what mankind needs to do to emulate this, was discussed by Professor Jim Barber of Imperial College.
Photochemistry: a beginning
One hundred years ago, the 20th century’s most famous scientist, Albert Einstein, worked out how light interacts with matter
– the photoelectric effect. It was for this work he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in
1921. Although there was some knowledge of photochemistry, it was down to Einstein that the close relationship between photochemistry and the photoelectric effect was determined.
Einstein’s work establishing the laws of photochemistry can be seen as the real starting point for understanding and exploiting solar energy. This is true regardless of whether this is taking place in manufactured solar cells, or in natural photosynthetic systems.
Challenges for the future
There is a need to generate power
Solar energy for a low carbon future
www.rsc.org
Registered Charity Number 207890
Harnessing Light
Solar energy for a low carbon future
‘‘Solar energy is the only energy source that is essentially pollution free and distributed across the planet.’’
Climate change, energy security, and a looming energy gap are all driving research and development into clean, renewable energy supplies. Scientists and engineers are looking at how to harness sunlight to help meet society’s demands to mitigate all of these potential problems.
An RSC policy seminar, chaired by Professor
Robin Perutz, began by looking at how the field first developed and what challenges still need to be met. Professor Anthony Harriman of the University of Newcastle introduced the field of photochemistry and issues of funding and trained scientists. Exploitation of laboratory research was discussed by
Professor Sir Richard Friend of Cambridge
University, and new developments in solar cell technology were presented by
Professor Michael Grätzel, from the Ecole
Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne. Finally, how nature produces energy from sunlight and what mankind needs to do to emulate this, was discussed by Professor Jim Barber of Imperial College.
Photochemistry: a beginning
One hundred years ago, the 20th century’s most famous scientist, Albert Einstein, worked out how light interacts with matter
– the photoelectric effect. It was for this work he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in
1921. Although there was some knowledge of photochemistry, it was down to Einstein that the close relationship between photochemistry and the photoelectric effect was determined.
Einstein’s work establishing the laws of photochemistry can be seen as the real starting point for understanding and exploiting solar energy. This is true regardless of whether this is taking place in manufactured solar cells, or in natural photosynthetic systems.
Challenges for the future
There is a need to generate power