Solar pioneer honoured in Qld Premier’s Sustainability Awards

A leading solar energy pioneer has received the top honour at the 2013 Premier’s Sustainability Awards in Queensland. The University of Queensland’s Professor Paul Meredith was presented with the Premier’s Award at a ceremony on Friday in Brisbane.

Meredith was recognised for his work investigating new high-tech materials to use for solar cells, electronics, sensors, displays and detectors, as well as his leadership role in UQ’s Solar Energy Research Program and commercialisation activities.

His work is expected to lead to applications in a range of technologies that improve the efficiency of solar energy harvesting systems and reduce power consumption of everyday high-tech devices.

“Our research is part of a long-term ambition for UQ in renewable energy development, including large-scale deployment of major clean energy-generating infrastructure,” Professor Meredith said.

“We have many more projects in the pipeline and I see this achievement as an opportunity for UQ and the state of Queensland to be thought leaders in this space.”

Professor Meredith is the Clean Energy Program Leader at the UQ Global Change Institute, Professor of Materials Physics in the UQ School of Mathematics and Physics and Co-director of the Centre for Organic Photonics and Electronics. He is also co-founder of the solar coatings companies Xerocoat and Brisbane Materials Technology.