Episode 33
Beyond Silicon: The Future of Solar Energy Ep 33: Professor Christos Markides & Dr Flurin Eisner
In 2025, the UK generated over 14 billion kilowatt-hours of solar electricity, enough to power more than 5 million homes. With solar technology evolving faster than ever, could the next leap in solar power come from labs pushing the boundaries of energy science?
Host - Prof. Christos Markides - Clean energy technologies in the department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial
Guest - Dr Flurin Eisner - Lecturer and researcher in Green Energy and Sustainable Engineering at Queen Mary University
Topics Discussed
- Technology improvements in solar cells
- Generation capacity for manufacturing solar technologies
- Growth rate of PV industry
- Technical dive into converting solar power to energy
- Solar heat converted to cooling technologies
- UK’s Solar PV generation vs that of Europe.
Timecode & Chapters;
00:00 - Introduction to the Energy Futures Podcast
00:45 - Meet the Hosts: Christos Markides and Flurin Eisner
02:00 - Overview of Solar Energy Potential and Global Usage
04:30 - Growth of Photovoltaics (PV) and Silicon Dominance
07:00 - Monocrystalline vs Polycrystalline Silicon
08:30 - Emerging Solar Technologies: Perovskites and Organics
11:00 - Advantages and Challenges of Perovskite Solar Cells
13:30 - Tandem Solar Cells and Efficiency Gains
15:00 - Organic PV: Flexibility, Colour Tuning, and Indoor Use
17:30 - Energy Payback Time and Sustainability of New Technologies
19:30 - Hybrid PV-Thermal Systems and Heat Recovery
22:00 - Thermal Storage and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)
24:30 - Grid Integration and the Role of Storage
26:30 - Desert Tech and International Solar Projects
28:00 - Challenges in Grid Infrastructure and Distribution
30:00 - Capacity Factors and Renewable Energy Intermittency
32:00 - Solar for Cooling and Building Integration
34:00 - Light Management and Spectral Tuning in PV
36:00 - Material Design and AI in Solar Research
38:00 - Policy, Funding, and the UK’s Role in PV Innovation
40:00 - Solar Panel Adoption in UK Homes and Feed-in Tariffs
42:00 - Final Thoughts: The Solar Revolution is Here
43:00 - Outro and Energy Futures Lab Mission
Christo's links: LinkedIn - Christos Markides | LinkedIn
Imperial profile - Christos Markides Profile | Imperial College London
Flurin’s links: LinkedIn - Flurin Eisner | LinkedIn
Produced by Annemarie van Basten
Annemarie Van Basten | LinkedIn
Additional Links
Joint Article Publication by Prof. Christos Markides and Dr. Maria Herrando
