Stuart Wenham (1957-2017): A driving force behind solar power

Remembered as one of the world’s most productive researchers on solar, his inventions and co-inventions have led to billions of dollars in investment in photovoltaics.

His work led to the establishment of the world’s first undergraduate degree in photovoltaics in 2000 and the formation of the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering (SPREE) in 2006.

On top of such an impressive list of achievements (the ones above only scratching the surface), his legacy is one of “contagious enthusiasm”, according to his daughter Alison Ciesla.

“When we arranged his funeral, I was contacted by hundreds of people who wanted to express how much my dad had changed their life, saying things like ‘he personally made me excited, he was the reason I chose the degree.’”

Stuart grew up in Bexley North in Sydney, was the dux of his high school and received the university medal in electrical engineering after completing his studies in 1980.

A lifelong friendship with fellow solar pioneer Professor Martin Green began when Stuart enrolled in Martin’s solar cell course in his final undergraduate year.

Alison says the pair were a dynamic duo.

“Martin was really good at the details, the fundamentals…and my dad was a real practical thinker.”

After graduating in 1981 he worked with Dr Bruce Godfrey to create Australia’s first solar cell manufacturing line.

This dedication to the practical side of things also saw him co-create a ‘virtual production line’ computer program with his former student, Dr Anna Bruce. It allowed students to control a simulation factory and see how it all comes together.

“It evolved into many things. It stopped being updated for a while and became non-usable, but now there's a big effort to revive it,” Alison says, “because the value of it is just so great for industry, and there is a real shortage of trained engineers.”

In the 1990s, Stuart and Martin developed a new type of cell that would radically change the solar market.

As the industry grew in the early 2000s, one standout student from SPREE, Shi Zhengrong, started a company in China and brought Stuart in as an executive.

In five years, the company, Suntech, became the world’s largest solar cell manufacturer, kickstarting solar manufacturing’s rapid rise and Zhengrong became the industry’s first billionaire.

In 1999, Stuart was jointly awarded the Australia Prize with Martin, the country’s top prize for science.

The record of Stuart’s life speaks to a commitment to taking research out of the lab and into the real world. That commitment continues now in his memory.

The Solar Industry Research Facility (SIRF), Stuart’s brainchild, is opposite the post office on Kensington campus. A production line and showcase gallery, it bridges the gap between academia and the factory floor, allowing researchers to fix problems before they sell blueprints to someone else. It is practically a monument to his work.

The monument may not be in his name, but there is a would-be shrine in his honour. On a wall at the far end of his old office, a solar cell he invented, a portrait, and the photo at the top of this article, with Stuart teaching the next generation, are all framed and hang high like the sun above those continuing his work.