Events Calendar

Center for Energy Nanoscience and Technology - Distinguisted Speaker Series

Speaker: Dr. Richard M. Swanson, President Emeritus SunPower Corporation

Talk Title: High Efficiency Silicon Solar Cells - Concepts and Commercialization

Biography: Richard Swanson received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 1974. In 1976, he joined the faculty at Stanford University where he and his group conceived and developed the point-contact solar cell. Laboratory versions of these cells achieved a record 28 percent conversion efficiency in concentrator cells and 23 percent large-area one-sun cells. In 1991, Swanson resigned from his faculty position to devote full time to SunPower Corporation, a company he founded to develop and commercialize cost-effective photovoltaic power systems. Swanson currently serves as its president emeritus. Along with his students and co-workers, Swanson has published more than 200 articles in journals and conference proceedings, as well as several book chapters. In 2002, Swanson received the William R. Cherry award by the IEEE for outstanding contributions to the photovoltaic field, and in 2006 he was awarded the Becquerel Prize in Photovoltaics from the European Communities. Most recently, Swanson received the Economist’s Innovation Award for Energy and Environment.

Host: P. Daniel Dapkus, Director, Center for Energy Nanoscience

Location: Seeley G. Mudd Building (SGM) - 101

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Eliza Aceves