Photovoltaic and renewable energy engineering is an area of research, development, and demonstration in Australia. Two

Australian Research Council The Australian Research Council (ARC) is the primary non-medical research funding agency of the Australian Government, distributing more than in grants each year. The Council was established by the ''Australian Research Council Act 2001'', ...

Centres play a role.

School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering

The

School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering The Faculty of Engineering is a constituent body of the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia. UNSW was formed on 1 July 1949, and the Faculty was established on 8 May 1950 with the inaugural meeting of the Faculty taking place on 7 ...

at the

University of NSW The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public university, public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight (Australian universities), ...

offers undergraduate training and postgraduate and research training opportunities in the area of

photovoltaics Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially us ...

and solar energy. It is widely recognised for its research in the area of photovoltaics, most of which is now conducted under the ARC Centre of Excellence for Advanced Silicon Photovoltaics and Photonics.

School of Engineering and Energy

The School of Engineering and Energy at

Murdoch University Murdoch University is a public university in Perth, Western Australia, with campuses also in Singapore and Dubai. It began operations as the state's second university on 25 July 1973, and accepted its first undergraduate students in 1975. Its n ...

offers a degree programs in physics, nanotechnology, engineering and energy.

ARC Centre of Excellence for Advanced Silicon Photovoltaics and Photonics

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Advanced Silicon Photovoltaics and Photonics opened on 13 June 2003. The Centre is engaged in

silicon Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. It is a hard, brittle crystalline solid with a blue-grey metallic luster, and is a tetravalent metalloid and semiconductor. It is a member of group 14 in the periodic tab ...

photovoltaic Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially us ...

research and applying these advances to the related field of

photonics Photonics is a branch of optics that involves the application of generation, detection, and manipulation of light in form of photons through emission, transmission, modulation, signal processing, switching, amplification, and sensing. Though ...

. The Centre is made up of five research teams seeking ways of improving the efficiency and cost of silicon based photovoltaic and photonic devices.

ARC Centre of Excellence for Solar Energy Systems

The focus for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Solar Energy Systems is the development of improved silicon concentrator

solar cells A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell, is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect, which is a physics, physical and Chemical substance, chemical phenomenon.Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

. The Director of the ARC Centre for Solar Energy Systems is Professor

Andrew Blakers Professor Andrew Blakers is Director of the Australian National University ''Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems'', which employs 60 staff. He is responsible for several innovations in solar energy photovoltaic technology, including "Sliver cel ...

and the Deputy Director is Dr Vernie Everett.

Innovation

sound barrier The sound barrier or sonic barrier is the large increase in aerodynamic drag and other undesirable effects experienced by an aircraft or other object when it approaches the speed of sound. When aircraft first approached the speed of sound, th ...

composed of solar panels helps light a section of the

Tullamarine Calder Interchange Tullamarine is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Brimbank, Hume and Merri-bek local government areas. Tullamarine recorded a population of 6,733 at ...

in northern

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

and received an award.http://www.resourcesmart.vic.gov.au/news_and_events/business_news_3368.html

References

External links

Desert Knowledge Australia Solar Centre
* ttp://www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/1224 Slicing the cost of solar powerbr>Solar breakthrough could lead to cheaper power
{{Energy in Australia Renewable energy in Australia Solar power in Australia Science and technology in Australia