Beyond Silicon: The Future of solar Energy Ep33
Beyond Silicon: The Future of Solar Energy (Ep 33): Prof. 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? Today's episode is hosted by Christos Markides, a professor of clean energy technologies in the department of chemical engineering at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø. He specializes in advanced technologies for recovering and storing thermal energy—particularly from solar and low-grade waste heat. His guest today is Dr Flurin Eisner, a 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.
Episode Overview
with timestamps
- Introduction to the Energy Futures Podcast
- Meet the Hosts: Christos Markides and Flurin Eisner
- Overview of Solar Energy Potential and Global Usage
- Growth of Photovoltaics (PV) and Silicon Dominance
- Monocrystalline vs Polycrystalline Silicon
- Emerging Solar Technologies: Perovskites and Organics
- Advantages and Challenges of Perovskite Solar Cells
- Tandem Solar Cells and Efficiency Gains
- Organic PV: Flexibility, Colour Tuning, and Indoor Use
- Energy Payback Time and Sustainability of New Technologies
- Hybrid PV-Thermal Systems and Heat Recovery
- Thermal Storage and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)
- Grid Integration and the Role of Storage
- Desert Tech and International Solar Projects
- Challenges in Grid Infrastructure and Distribution
- Capacity Factors and Renewable Energy Intermittency
- Solar for Cooling and Building Integration
- Light Management and Spectral Tuning in PV
- Material Design and AI in Solar Research
- Policy, Funding, and the UK’s Role in PV Innovation
- Solar Panel Adoption in UK Homes and Feed-in Tariffs
- Final Thoughts: The Solar Revolution is Here
- Outro and Energy Futures Lab Mission
Meet our Guests
Professor of clean energy technologies in the Chemical Engineering department at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø. He specializes in advanced technologies for recovering and storing thermal energy—particularly from solar and low-grade waste heat.
Dr Flurin Eisner
A lecturer and researcher in Green Energy and Sustainable Engineering at Queen Mary University. His research focuses on solution-processable semicondcutor devices () for sustainable solar energy conversion and storage.
Additional Links
Joint Article Publication by Prof. Christos Markides and Dr Maria Herrando Hybrid PV and solar-thermal systems for domestic heat and power provision in the UK: Techno-economic considerations
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