Pierre J. Verlinden
Pierre Verlinden | |
|---|---|
| Born | Pierre J. Verlinden |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Education | |
| Awards |
|
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Photovoltaics, Electrical engineering |
Pierre J. Verlinden (born 14 January 1957) is a Belgian-Australian photovoltaic scientist and engineer. He has worked in the field of photovoltaics for over four decades, holding senior research and leadership positions in both industry and academia. As of 2022, he serves as Chief Scientist at the Yangtze Institute for Solar Technology (YIST) in Jiangyin, China.
Education
Verlinden received his Master’s degree (1979) and Ph.D. (1985) in Electrical Engineering from the Université catholique de Louvain in Belgium. In 1987, he was a NATO Research Fellow and Visiting Scholar at Stanford University.
Career
Verlinden has held a range of academic and industrial roles focused on photovoltaic (PV) technology. He was a founder and Managing Director of AMROCK, a PV technology consulting firm in Australia.[1] He also held adjunct professorships at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China (2014–2019), and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia (2020–2023).
From 2012 to 2018, Verlinden was Chief Scientist, Vice-President, and Vice-Chair of the State Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic Science and Technology at Trina Solar.[2] He continued as part-time Chief Scientist at Trina Solar from 2018 to 2025. He previously held senior roles including Director of R&D at SunPower Corporation (1991–2001),[3] Manager of PV Technology and Operations at Origin Energy (2002–2005), and Principal Scientist at Solar Systems (2005–2009).[4]
Research and Publications
Verlinden has authored or co-authored more than 200 technical papers and contributed to several books on solar energy. He holds 36 patents, primarily in the field of photovoltaic device technology. His research has contributed to advancements in:
- High-efficiency silicon solar cells
- Interdigitated back contact (IBC) solar cells
- PERC and TOPCon solar cell architectures
- Perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells
- Multijunction III-V concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems
Awards and recognition
- William R. Cherry Award (2016), presented by the IEEE.[5]
- Chinese Government Friendship Award (2017), the highest award given by the Chinese government to foreign experts.[6]
- Becquerel Prize (2019), awarded by the European Commission.[7]
- Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of New South Wales (2023).[8]
- Francqui Chair at Hasselt University (2023).[9]
- Named a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in 2013 and elevated to Fellow Member in 2023.[10]
References
- ^ "'The first terawatt of solar PV installed globally took some 70 years to achieve, while the second will likely take only three'". pv magazine International. 26 September 2022.
- ^ "Renewable energy in China". Chemistry World.
- ^ "Solar pioneer Pierre Verlinden: The big problem is apathy". Pv magazine International. 11 September 2019.
- ^ "For most Chinese solar researchers, the goal has not been new invention. It has been to close the gap with the West" (PDF). Stanford.edu.
- ^ "43rd IEEE PVSC | Portland". IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference.
- ^ "天合光能首席科学家Pierre Verlinden获中国政府【友谊奖】". Sohu.com.
- ^ "Previous Becquerel Prize Winners". Becquerel Prize.
- ^ "Celebrating our new graduates". Inside UNSW.
- ^ "Francqui Chair Titulars". Francqui Foundation.
- ^ "PES Members elected to the IEEE Fellows Class of 2023". IEEE Power & Energy Society.