Andrew Blakers

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| image = Andrew Blakers in the online ANU Solar Oration 2020.png

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| caption = In an online discussion in 2020

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| occupation = Professor

| employer = Australian National University

| awards = {{Plainlist|

Eureka Prize (2018)
Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (2023)

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Andrew Blakers {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AO|FAA|FTSE|FRSN}} is a professor of renewable energy engineering at the Australian National University.{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Emeritus Professor Andrew Blakers |url=https://researchportalplus.anu.edu.au/en/persons/andrew-blakers |accessdate=25 October 2024 |website=researchportalplus.anu.edu.au}} He has contributed to several innovations in solar photovoltaic technology, including PERC solar cells. Blakers has secured many research grants and won several awards.

Solar research group at ANU

Blakers founded the solar research group at ANU in 1991. It comprises about 60 staff and students who work on silicon, perovskite and tandem solar cells.

PERC solar cells

PERC solar photovoltaic technology is used in about 80% of solar panels deployed around the globe. Cumulative PERC solar panel sales are about US$150 billion. PERC solar panels are mitigating about 3% of global emissions through displacement of coal generation.{{cite journal |last1=Blakers |first1=Andrew |title=Development of the PERC Solar Cell |journal=IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics |date=May 2019 |volume=9 |issue=3 |pages=629–635 |doi=10.1109/JPHOTOV.2019.2899460 |doi-access=free }}

Sliver cells

Sliver Cell photovoltaic technology uses one tenth of the silicon used in conventional solar panels. Blakers invented the technology with colleague Prof Klaus Weber and developed it with funding from energy supplier Origin Energy and the Australian Research Council.

100% renewable energy futures

Blakers and colleagues work on 100% renewable energy futures.{{cite journal |last1=Blakers |first1=Andrew |last2=Stocks |first2=Matthew |last3=Lu |first3=Bin |last4=Cheng |first4=Cheng |last5=Stocks |first5=Ryan |title=Pathway to 100% Renewable Electricity |journal=IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics |date=November 2019 |volume=9 |issue=6 |pages=1828–1833 |doi=10.1109/JPHOTOV.2019.2938882 |doi-access=free |hdl=1885/298187 |hdl-access=free }} This entails hour-by-hour modelling over decades of supply of energy (mostly from solar and wind) and demand for energy. Sufficient solar, wind, storage and transmission is added to the model to ensure sufficient supply of energy at all times. The levelized cost of a balanced 100% renewable energy system (dollars per Megawatt-hour) can then be calculated. National energy systems have been modeled for Australia,{{cite journal |last1=Blakers |first1=Andrew |last2=Lu |first2=Bin |last3=Stocks |first3=Matthew |title=100% renewable electricity in Australia |journal=Energy |date=August 2017 |volume=133 |pages=471–482 |doi=10.1016/j.energy.2017.05.168 |bibcode=2017Ene...133..471B |hdl=1885/165014 |hdl-access=free }} Japan,{{cite journal |last1=Cheng |first1=Cheng |last2=Blakers |first2=Andrew |last3=Stocks |first3=Matthew |last4=Lu |first4=Bin |title=100% renewable energy in Japan |journal=Energy Conversion and Management |date=March 2022 |volume=255 |pages=115299 |doi=10.1016/j.enconman.2022.115299 |arxiv=2109.08363 |bibcode=2022ECM...25515299C }} ASEAN,{{Cite journal|title=Low-cost, low-emission 100% renewable electricity in Southeast Asia supported by pumped hydro storage|first1=Bin|last1=Lu|first2=Andrew|last2=Blakers|first3=Matthew|last3=Stocks|first4=Thang Nam|last4=Do|date=1 December 2021|journal=Energy|volume=236|pages=121387|doi=10.1016/j.energy.2021.121387|doi-access=free|bibcode=2021Ene...23621387L |hdl=1885/296681|hdl-access=free}} Bolivia,{{cite journal |last1=Cheng |first1=Cheng |last2=Gutierrez |first2=Natalia Pereira |last3=Blakers |first3=Andrew |last4=Stocks |first4=Matthew |title=GIS-based solar and wind resource assessment and least-cost 100 % renewable electricity modelling for Bolivia |journal=Energy for Sustainable Development |date=August 2022 |volume=69 |pages=134–149 |doi=10.1016/j.esd.2022.06.008 |bibcode=2022ESusD..69..134C |doi-access=free }} Indonesia{{cite journal |last1=Silalahi |first1=David Firnando |last2=Blakers |first2=Andrew |last3=Stocks |first3=Matthew |last4=Lu |first4=Bin |last5=Cheng |first5=Cheng |last6=Hayes |first6=Liam |title=Indonesia's Vast Solar Energy Potential |journal=Energies |date=31 August 2021 |volume=14 |issue=17 |pages=5424 |doi=10.3390/en14175424 |doi-access=free |hdl=1885/294209 |hdl-access=free }} and other countries.

Global atlas of pumped hydro energy storage

Blakers and colleagues have produced global atlases showing millions of off-river (closed loop) pumped hydro energy storage potential sites around the world that can be used to support 100% renewable energy.{{cite journal |last1=Blakers |first1=Andrew |last2=Stocks |first2=Matthew |last3=Lu |first3=Bin |last4=Cheng |first4=Cheng |title=A review of pumped hydro energy storage |journal=Progress in Energy |date=April 2021 |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=022003 |doi=10.1088/2516-1083/abeb5b |doi-access=free |bibcode=2021PrEne...3b2003B |hdl=1885/296928 |hdl-access=free }}{{cite web |title=Global Greenfield Pumped Hydro Energy Storage Atlas |url=https://re100.eng.anu.edu.au/global/ |website=ANU RE100 Group |language=en-AU |date=19 May 2025}}

Honours

Blakers won the Clunies Ross Technology Innovation Award of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering in 2024.{{Cite web |url=https://atse.org.au/news/atse-awards-2024-winners/#clunies |title=Professor Andrew Blakers — Winner of the Clunies Ross Innovation Award 2024 |publisher=Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering |access-date=2025-04-12}}

Blakers, Martin Green, Jianhua Zhao and Aihua Wang won the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering in 2023 for development of the PERC solar cell.

Blakers, Matt Stocks and Bin Lu won the 2018 Eureka Prize for Environmental Research for work on 100% renewable energy futures.

Blakers was 2012 state finalist for the Australian of the year award, in the Australian Capital Territory.

Blakers and Klaus Weber won the 2007 Australian Institute of Physics' Walsh Medal for their solar research work.

Blakers and colleagues won the 2005 Banksia Award for Environmental Leadership in Infrastructure & Services.

Blakers is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, the Australian Institute of Physics, the Australian Institute of Energy and the Royal Society of New South Wales. He is a life member of the International Solar Energy Society, the Australian Association of von Humboldt Fellows and the Australian Conservation Foundation.

He was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 2024{{Cite web |title=Academy announces 2024 Fellows for outstanding contributions to science |url=https://www.science.org.au/news-and-events/news-and-media-releases/academy-announces-2024-fellows-for-outstanding-contributions-to-science |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=Australian Academy of Science |language=en}} and he was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia in the 2025 Australia Day Honours.{{Cite web |title=Emeritus Professor Andrew William BLAKERS |url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/3044627 |access-date=2025-01-25 |website=Australian Honours Search Facility}}