Professor Bram Hoex | UNSW Research

Fields of Research (FoR)

Photovoltaic devices (solar cells), Photovoltaic power systems, Catalysis and mechanisms of reactions, Functional materials

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Renewable Energy

Biography

Professor Bram Hoex completed a MSc degree and PhD degree in Applied Physics from the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) in the Netherlands. His PhD work on functional thin films for high-efficiency solar cells was recognised by both the SolarWorld “Junior Einstein” and Leverhulme “Technology Transfer” awards. After completing his PhD degree in 2008, he joined the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) as head of the Photovoltaic Characterization group. From 2012 to the end of 2014 he was Director of the Silicon Materials and Solar Cells Cluster as well as group leader Monocrystalline Silicon Wafer Solar Cells. In 2015 he joined the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering (SPREE) at UNSW Australia where he currently is Deputy Head of School (Research) and Director, International Strategy. His research group focusses on developing and applying nanoscale thin films in a wide range of renewable energy devices to improve their performance, solar cell/module reliability, as well as financial and performance modelling of gigascale solar farms. He is best known for his groundbreaking work on aluminium oxide for crystalline silicon surface passivation which is now the de facto standard for industrial PERC and TOPCon solar cells. He also pioneered the application of atomic layer deposition for silicon wafer solar cell manufacturing. During his career, he has raised over A$ 80 million in competitive research funding of which A$ 23 million as Lead Investigator. He has published over 250 journal and conference papers and he has an h-index of 42. In 2016 he was awarded the mid-career “IEEE PVSC Young Professional Award” for his significant contributions and his potential as a future leader in the field of photovoltaics and in 2018 he was selected as one of the "Solar 40 under 40" by Renewable Energy World.

Specialties: High-efficiency silicon wafer solar cells, solar energy, surface passivation, advanced characterisation of photovoltaic devices and materials.

My Grants

2022 – 2027, Lead Investigator, “Optimal O&M-strategy and LCOE-modelling for ground-mounted PV”, ARENA Ultra Low Cost Solar PV Research and Development Round, $3.7M.

2022 – 2027, Chief Investigator, “Low cost and sustainable PV systems for the terawatt scale”, ARENA Ultra Low Cost Solar PV Research and Development Round, $3.1M.

2022 – 2027, Chief Investigator, “Low cost and sustainable PV systems for the terawatt scale”, ARENA Ultra Low Cost Solar PV Research and Development Round, $2.4M.

2022 – 2027, Chief Investigator, “Efficient and Stable Chalcogenide-Si tandem cells: integrating commercialized PV technologies”, ARENA Ultra Low Cost Solar PV Research and Development Round, $3.1M

2022 – 2027, Chief Investigator, “Silver-lean screen printing for sustainable low-cost industrial PV manufacturing at the terawatt scale”, ARENA Ultra Low Cost Solar PV Research and Development Round, $3.3M.

2022 – 2027, Chief Investigator, “Low-cost 30% efficiency silicon photovoltaic solar cells achieved through singlet fission”, ARENA Ultra Low Cost Solar PV Research and Development Round, $4.8M.

2022 – 2022, Lead Investigator, “Extraterrestrial Radiation Tolerant Silicon Solar Cells”, CRC for SmartSat Project, $99k.

2022 – 2025, Chief Investigator, “Nonlinear Optical Metrology of Electronic Interfaces for Silicon Devices”, ARC Linkage, 417k.

2022 – 2025, Chief Investigator, “Fabrication of silicon solar cells in a Lunar-like vacuum environment”, ARC Linkage, $417k

2022 – 2024, Chief Investigator, “Revival of silicon solar cells for space applications”, ARC Linkage, $437k.

2022 – 2024, Chief Investigator, “Ultrathin III-V Solar Cells via Crack-Assisted Layer Exfoliation”, ARC Discovery, $480k

2021 – 2023, Chief Investigator, “Energy Data Platform (EDP)”, ARENA ACAP Infrastructure Round 2, A$ 172k

2021 – 2023, Lead Investigator, “Loana upgrade”, ARENA ACAP Infrastructure Round 2, A$ 105k

2021 – 2023, Lead investigator, “Single side etching system”, ARENA ACAP Infrastructure Round 1, A$ 181k

2020 – 2022, Chief Investigator, “Tandem Cluster”, ARENA ACAP Infrastructure Round 2, budget A$ 4.6M

2020 – 2022, Lead Investigator, “Climate chamber with integrated solar simulator and in situ current-voltage measurements”, ARENA ACAP Infrastructure Round 1, budget A$ 678k.

2018 – 2021, Lead Investigator, “Advanced high-efficiency silicon solar cells employing innovative atomic scale engineered surface and contact passivation layers”, ARENA BH008, budget A$ 2.0M.

2018 – 2021, Chief Investigator, “Hydrogenated and Hybrid Heterojunction p-type Silicon PV Cells R&D Project”, ARENA BH007, budget A$ 1.7M plus A$ 0.5M from industry.

2018 - 2021, Chief Investigator, “Integrating industrial black silicon with high efficiency multicrystalline solar cells”, ARENA DP010, budget A$0.5M plus A$ 0.5M from industry.

2018 – 2021, Chief Investigator, “Development of Beyond 20% Efficiency Kesterite (CZTSSe) Solar Cells: win the PV race with sustainable low-cost, low-toxic and stable materials”, ARENA XH004, budget A$ 1.3M.

2018 – 2021, Investigator, “Efficient Adamantine Thin-Film on Silicon Tandem Cells: The Next Step in Commercial Cell Evolution”, ARENA MG020, budget A$ 3.2M.

2017 – 2021, Chief Investigator, “Development and commercialisation of high efficiency silicon solar cell technology”, ARENA 1-A060-extension, budget A$ 2.5M.

2017 – 2020, Chief Investigator, “Advanced manufacturing of solar cells using cutting-edge hydrogenation”, Global Innovation Linkages (Department of Industry, Innovation and Science), budget A$ 1M.

2017 – 2020, Chief Investigator, “Low cost, high efficiency Copper-Zinc-Tin-Sulphide (CZTS) on silicon multi-junction solar cells”, USO028-extension, Budget A$ 1.1M.

2017 – 2020, Chief Investigator, “Overcoming the performance and cost limitations of commercial solar cells”, 1-A060, ARENA-ASI Core Project Funding Partner Contribution (Lerri Solar Technology), budget A$ 1.04M

2017, Chief Investigator, “Dual chamber evaporator”, UNSW Research Infrastructure Scheme, budget A$ 150k.

2016 – 2019, Chief Investigator, “Development and commercialisation of UNSW’s advanced hydrogenation (ah) technology”, 1-A060, ARENA-ASI Core Project Funding Partner Contribution (SolarWorld Innovations), budget A$ 1.04M

2016 - 2017, Lead Investigator, “Impact aluminium oxide on screen-printed contacts”, Jiangsu Leadmicro nano-equipment technology, budget A$ 20k.

2016 – 2019, Chief Investigator, “Development and commercialisation of high efficiency silicon solar cell technology”, 1-A060, ARENA-ASI Core Project Funding Partner Contribution (CEC Energy Pt. Ltd.), budget A$ 1.04M

2016 – 2019, Co-Lead Investigator, “Passivated hole contacts for next-generation industrial silicon wafer solar cells”. NPR9-021-2-009, budget A$ 1M.

2014, Lead Investigator, “Cost-effective silicon wafer solar cells using inkjet-printed front metallisation”, NRF2014EWT-EIRP001-016, budget A$ 1.3M. Industry partner Roth & Rau.

2014, Chief Investigator, “Advanced metallization concepts enabling cost reduction for industrial high-efficiency silicon wafer solar cells”, NRF2013EWT-EIRP002-007, budget S$ 5.4M. Industry partner MECO.

2014, Chief Investigator, “Feasibility of multicrystalline silicon aluminium local back surface solar cells”, NRF2013EWT-EIRP002-005, budget S$ 500k. Industry partner REC Solar.

2013 - 2016, Chief Investigator, “Novel dielectric coatings for silicon wafer solar cells”, NRF2012EWT-EIRP001-014, budget S$ 1.2M. Industry partner DSM.

2013 – 2019, Lead Investigator, “Ion implantation for low-cost high-efficiency silicon wafer solar cells”, NRF2012EWT-EIRP001-023, budget S$ 5.6M. Industry partner Intevac.

2012 – 2017, Lead Investigator, “Ultrafast atomic layer deposition for cost-efficient high-efficiency silicon wafer solar cells”, NRF2011 EWT-CERP001-018, budget S$ 3.3M + S$ 390k (industry). Industry partners: SoLayTec and AkzoNobel.

2011 – 2017, Chief Investigator, “Development of high-efficiency crystalline/amorphous silicon heterojunction solar cells on thin wafers’, NRF2010EWT-CERP001-022, budget S$4.8M. Industry partners: Singulus, DEK, DuPont, REC Solar, and First Philec

2010 – 2013, Chief Investigator, “Screen-printed all-back-contact silicon wafer solar cel”, budget S$ 4.7M. Industry partner Trina Solar.

2009 – 2012, Lead Investigator, “Development of industrial high-efficiency multicrystalline silicon wafer solar cells – Application of novel cell architectures and manufacturing technologies”, NRF2009EWT-CERP001-056, budget S$ 3.9M + S$ 330k (industry). Industry partner REC Solar.

My Qualifications

2020, Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD)

2016, Graduate Certification in University Learning and Teaching (GCULT), UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

2008, PhD degree in Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

2003, MSc degree in Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

My Awards

2018, Staff Excellence Award in Research Excellence, Faculty of Engineering, UNSW Sydney.

2018, Listed on the “Solar 40 under 40” list from Renewable Energy World

2018, UNSW Scientia Fellowship, UNSW Sydney.

2017, Arc Postgraduate Council Supervisor Award, UNSW Sydney

2016, IEEE PVSC Young Professional Award, arguably the most prestigious mid-career price in the field of photovoltaics

2014, Shortlisted for “Young Scientist Award 2014”, Singapore

2013, Shortlisted for “Young Scientist Award 2013”, Singapore

2013, Nominated for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Technology Review TR35 list for world’s young innovators

2011, “Best Poster Award” in Symposium O at the ICMAT 2011 meeting (co-author)

2011, “Best Poster Award” at the 37^th IEEE PVSC meeting (co-author)

2011, Nominated for the MIT Technology Review TR35 list for world’s young innovators

2010, Nominated for the MIT Technology Review TR35 list for world’s young innovators

2008, “Best Poster Award” at the 33^rd IEEE PVSC meeting (presenting author)

2008, SolarWorld “Junior Einstein Award” for best international PhD thesis in the field of photovoltaic research

2008, Leverhulme Trust “Technology Transfer Award” of € 70,000 for the successful transfer of technology from academia to industry in the Netherlands

2008, “Best Oral Presentation” Award at the IUMRS-ICEM 2008 meeting, Sydney, Australia

My Research Activities

Solar cells convert light to electricity, and we are always aiming for the highest energy conversion efficiency at the lowest costs. The efficiency potential of a single junction solar cell is governed by the material properties of the absorber material(s). However, the efficiency of actual devices is significantly lower due to non-optimal optical and electronic properties of the device.

Our research focusses on the application and optimisation of thin films in a wide range of solar cells in order to minimise optical and electronic losses. In particular electronic losses can be minimised by the application of multifunctional thin films such as interface passivation layers or electron or hole transport layers. The best results can be achieved when the composition of these thin films can be controlled with atomic layer precision, and this can be achieved by atomic layer deposition. You can find more information about our work on our group’s website.