Four Australian engineers take home the QEPrize

The 2023 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QEPrize) was awarded to four Australians; Professor Martin Green, Professor Andrew Blakers, Dr Aihua Wang and Dr Jianhua Zhao for their research work and development of Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC) solar photovoltaic technology that has underpinned the recent growth of high performance, low-cost solar electricity, to harness the power of the sun.

Awarded annually, the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering is presented to engineers responsible for ground-breaking innovations that have been of global benefit to humanity. Celebrating its 10th year in 2023, the prize announcement was made by Lord Browne of Madingley, Chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation.

The 2023 laureates greatly improved the energy conversion efficiency of commercially dominant silicon cells by improving the quality of both the top and the rear surface of

General Briefs

Hydrogen hub for Townsville

The Albanese Government has said it will contribute $70 million investment to support the development of a hydrogen hub in Townsville. With matched funding, the region will see a $140 million investment in renewable hydrogen. The Government’s investment in hydrogen hubs is now more than $525 million, including the $454 million Regional Hydrogen Hubs program for projects in places like Gladstone, the Hunter Valley, the Pilbara, Port Bonython and Bell Bay. The Government is also investing $89.5 million to help the transport sector make the switch to hydrogen, including through hydrogen refuelling stations along Australia’s busiest freight routes.

Australian engineers honoured Mining and resources engineer Dr Stuart McGill and Warrant Officer Brett Hooper of the Royal Australian Air Force were awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).

Dr Ernest Evans was given the medal for service to engineering. Graeme Haussmann was recognised with an Order of Australia medal. Royal Australian Air Force’s Wing Commander Rachael Quirk was recognised with an Order of Australia Medal.

Other engineers recognised with honours were RMIT University Professor Sylvester Abanteriba, Rob Gehling of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects, University of Technology Sydney Distinguished Professor Dr Jie Lu, University of Sydney Professor David Hensher, Princeton University Professor Alexander Smits and DoricGroup Chair Hariolaos Xydas.

Aircraft maintenance scholarships CASA is offering three aircraft maintenance engineers (AME) scholarships worth $5,000. “There’s a shortage of aircraft maintenance engineers in Australia, and one of the ways we are supporting the industry is to offer a financial incentive to those AMEs who’ve started structured training towards a licence,” Andreas Marcelja, Executive Manager Stakeholder Engagement, says.

standard silicon solar cells. PERC introduced an additional layer on the back surface that helped prevent recombination and further, reflected unused photons back into the silicon to generate more electrons.

Recognising the important role PERC technology plays in the development of solar energy, the awardees published their findings with no patent, encouraging further developments within the field and driving down the cost of production to the benefit of wider society.

The scholarships are aimed at those who haven’t gone through formal training but are currently working in the industry gaining experience.

“We know that $5,000 doesn’t cover all the associated costs of AME licence training, but the funding will provide some support in continuing education and training towards getting a CASR Part 66 AME licence.”