Join us for the Environmental Lecture Series in Orchestra Hall. The topic for July 29 is “Dr. Sunshine to Electricity: Solar Energy Stories of Science, Technology & Public Policy” with Dr. Randy Ellingson.
Earth needs abundant, safe, low-carbon energy to power the transition away from fossil fuels. Photovoltaic (PV, where photo = light and voltaic = electricity) panels operate silently and require no moving parts. The elegant simplicity of converting sunlight directly into electricity, however, masks remarkably complex materials science challenges.
In this lecture, Ellingson explains the scientific principles behind solar energy conversion and shares insights into the scientific, technological, environmental, economic, political and policy dimensions of solar photovoltaic power. Participants will explore why, despite its many advantages, utility-scale solar energy has not been universally accepted in Ohio and other communities.
Ellingson is Distinguished University Professor of Physics at the University of Toledo and a faculty member of the Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Carleton College in 1987 and completed his PhD in applied physics at Cornell University in 1994.
Before joining the University of Toledo faculty in 2008, Ellingson spent 14 years at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado. In the Department of Physics and Astronomy, he teaches and leads research on thin-film photovoltaic materials, devices and systems.
He also serves as a faculty mentor for the Student Green Fund and the student chapter of Glass City Community Solar. Ellingson is a co-founder of this local charitable nonprofit, which focuses on bringing the benefits of solar energy to low-income residents of Toledo.
