On the evening of October 23rd, a series of lectures were given by Professor Neil Greenham at State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices in South China University of Technology. Students majoring in Materials, graduate students in the Laboratory and teachers attended the lecture. The topic of the lectures is “What Does Science Tell Us About Whether Renewable Energy is Feasible?”
First, Professor Greenham introduced the book Renewable Energy Without the Hot Airwritten by David MacKay. With the Britain’s perception of wind power, he introduced the theme of the first lecture — renewable energy. An interesting question — “How much energy do you use per day?” — led to a heated discussion. The right answer given by Professor Greenham reminded us the importance of sustainable development.
After the discussion, Professor Greenham put forward the idea of wind power. By calculating the efficiency of wind power, he drew a conclusion that although wind power could relieve the energy crisis slightly, there were still many difficulties at present concerningseasons, regional differences and technology limitations.
At the same time, Professor Greenham thought that too many vehicles, undoubtedly, consumed a large amount of energy. We easily got the answer of how many cars could be powered by one wind turbine, making us realize that slow driving could reduce wind resistance to save energy.
In the last part of today’s lecture, Professor Greenham talked about solar energy. Solar energy is indispensable in sustainable energy nowadays. Because of the vast territory of China, solar photovoltaic systems can be widely installed. But on the other hand, low efficiencyof battery and obliquity of ecliptic limited the use of solar energy. In the future, there are infinite possibilities for us to explore.
At the end of the first lecture, Professor Greenham gave high marks on the environmental protection and the high efficiency of high voltage direct current system of China. Thank Professor Greenham for his unforgettable lecture. We believe that both students and teachers present have learned a lot from it. We also believe that, in future scientific research, a sustainable road is needed for a better environment.
About Professor Neil Greenham
Neil Greenham is Professor of Physics at the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge.His research focuses on novel low-dimensional semiconductors that can be deposited from solution, in particular conjugated polymers and semiconductor nanocrystals. During his Ph.D. at Cambridge he made important early advances in the development of polymer light-emitting diodes, improving efficiencies and understanding the physics of device operation.He was a Miller Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley from 1995-96, where he developed the first solar cells based on blends of polymers with inorganic semiconductor nanocrystals.His research now focuses on photovoltaics, using device measurements, spectroscopy, advanced imaging techniques and modelling to understand and control loss mechanisms, thus improving device performance. He was awarded the Royal Society Kavli Medal and Lecture in 2013.
(Text Hangyu Zhong, Photo ISAM)
