Academy of Science South Africa 2005/6 Annual Report

Programme 3ASSAfAfricans, administered for TWAS and the South African Department of Science and Technology byASSAf. The rules and regulations that had been compiled by the former General Secretary of ASSAf,Prof Parker, were approved and an awardee, Prof Vivian Alberts, was selected by a special selectioncommittee chaired by Dr Philemon Mjwara (MASSAf).Citation: This award is made to Professor Vivian Alberts of the University of Johannesburg in recognition of hisresearch findings in the field of novel thin-film photovoltaic cells. We believe that the potential economic and socioeconomicvalue that work of this calibre holds deserve to be publicly acknowledged.Prof Alberts has been conducting research in novel thin-film photovoltaic materials at Rand Afrikaans Universityin Johannesburg since 1992, while also fulfilling the demands of an academic career. Peer-reviewed papers in leadinginternational journals, based on his work, with Prof Alberts as author or co-author, numbered 52 until the end of 2004.During the period December 2002 – January 2005, Prof Alberts achieved a seminal conceptual breakthroughin the technology for manufacturing thin film CIGS (Copper-Indium-Gallium-Diselenide) photovoltaic cells bya process that is both industrially scalable and commercially inexpensive. This breakthrough made it possible tomanufacture high-quality, durable and effective solar cells and panels at a cost that is 20% of the current cost ofimported panels in South Africa. The projected production costs are low enough to undercut the cost of coal-firedelectricity generation.The social and economic impact of his research work is threefold. It promises to generate a leading global industrywith its intellectual centre in South Africa (due to the patenting of the associated technology by Prof Alberts and RAU,and the worldwide potential for installing solar PV). This would add significantly to South Africa’s technologicalcompetitiveness and possible foreign exchange earning. The low cost of producing solar panels with this technologyprovides an exceptional opportunity for the South African government to supply electricity to the approximately2 million national households that are not connected to the national grid, thereby giving a major boost to the socioeconomicdevelopment (specifically in terms of educational services, health services and industrial establishment)of underdeveloped communities. The enormity of the potential global market for low-cost photovoltaic installationsProf Vivian AlbertsWinner of the TWAS Young Scientist PrizeAnnual Report 2005/0631