Ben Wood

Ben Wood’s thesis, ‘Silicon Passivation and Photosensitisation Using Organic Monolays and Light Harvesting Chromophores’ was awarded 22/05/2024. It focuses on the chemistries of solar panel technologies, seeking to determine what are the true costs of improving energy conversion efficiencies when measured not in terms of light to heat (the standard approach), but when the manufacture and recycling costs are also factored in. When viewed from this bigger picture, the benefits of cleaner silicon – essentially what is required in enhancing efficiency - are not so clear, and indeed suggest investment in other parts of the overall product cycle might be appropriate. Ben has co-authored one major article in Faraday Discussions Journal, Royal Society of Chemistry and has several several conference papers. Ben has now taken on a research and technical support role in the engineering dept at Lancaster.

This project aims to evaluate potential gains of improving the performance of thin-film silicon PVs vs "the bigger picture" of our research - in terms of calculating the additional embodied energy of our substrates, whilst also looking at the sustainability of the materials employed.