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

Hybrid PV and solar-thermal systems for domestic heat and power provision in the UK: Techno-economic considerations