Prof. Bryce Richards

Current Administrative Activities

• Managing Editor of the journal Progress in Photovoltaics (Apr 2006 - ).
• Ongoing organising committee member for PVSAT - the UK PV conference (Feb 2007 - ).
• Deputy Director for Joint Research Institute (JRI) in Energy (Sept 07 - date), one of six JRI's funded under the Edinburgh Research Partnership (ERP) pooling initiative.
• Representative for Mechanical Engineering on the Research Coordination Group (RCG) for the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPS) (May 2007 - date).

Editing

• Managing Editor of Progress in Photovoltaics

Teaching

• Renewable Energy Technologies
• Advanced Renewable Energy Engineering

• Renewable energy technology, solar energy, photovoltaics, small-scale wind turbines
• Design and fabrication of silicon solar cells
• Optical, electrical and materials characterisation techniques
• Dielectric thin-films for antireflection coatings and surface passivation
• Influence of weathering on the performance of solar cells and photovoltaic modules
• Energy payback times of renewable energy technologies
• Application of luminescent materials to photovoltaics - up-conversion, down-conversion, spectral conversion (luminescence down-shifting), luminescent solar concentrators
• Renewable energy powered desalination (membrane filtration) systems, specifically for application in developing countries and disaster relief

• M.G. Debije, P.P.C.Verbunt, B.C. Rowan, B.S. Richards, T. Hoeks (2008) Measured surface loss from luminescent solar concentrator waveguides, Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells (in press).
• A. De Munari , D.P.S. Capão, B.S. Richards, A.I. Schäfer (2008) Application of Solar-Powered Desalination in a Remote Town in South Australia, Desalination (in press).
• G.L.Park, B.S. Richards, A.I. Schäfer (2008) Potential of Wind-Powered Renewable Energy Membrane Systems for Ghana, Desalination (in press).
• L.A. Richards, B.S. Richards, H.M.A. Rossiter, A.I. Schäfer (2008) Impact of Speciation on Fluoride, Arsenic and Magnesium Retention by Nanofiltration-Reverse Osmosis in Remote Australian Communities, Desalination (in press).
• A.I. Schäfer, H.M.A. Rossiter, P.A. Owusu, B.S. Richards, E. Awuah (2008) Physico-Chemical Water Quality in Ghana: Prospects for Water Supply Technology Implementation, Desalination (in press)
• K.R. McIntosh, G. Lau, J.N. Cotsell, K. Hanton, D.L. Btzner, F. Bettiol, B.S. Richards (2008) Increase in external quantum efficiency of encapsulated silicon solar cells from a luminescent down-shifting layer, Progress in Photovoltaics (in press).
• B.C. Rowan, L.R. Wilson, B.S. Richards (2008) Advanced material concepts for luminescent solar concentrators, IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics (in press) (Invited paper).
• B.B.Paudyal, K.R. McIntosh, D.H. Macdonald, B.S. Richards, R.A. Sinton (2008) The implementation of temperature control to an inductive-coil photoconductance instrument for the range of 0 to 230°C, Progress in Photovoltaics 16(7): 609-613.
• B.S. Richards, D.P.S. Capão, A.I. Schäfer (2008) Renewable energy powered membrane technology. 2. The e_ect of energy uctuations on performance of a photovoltaic hybrid membrane system, Environmental Science & Technology 42:4563-4569.
• P. Corbett, S. Kerr, B. Richards, J. Side, D. Davies, Petroleum industry and renewables, First Break, 25: 11-17.
• K.R. McIntosh, N.Yamada, B.S. Richards (2007) Theoretical Comparison of Cylindrical and Planar Luminescent Solar Concentrators, Applied Physics B, 88(2): 285-290.
• A. Shalav, B.S. Richards, M.A. Green (2007) Luminescent layers for enhanced silicon solar cell performance: Up-conversion, Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 91(9): 829-842.
• A.I. Schäfer, A. Broeckmann, B.S. Richards (2007) Renewable energy powered membrane technology. 1. Development and characterization of a photovoltaic hybrid membrane system, Environmental Science & Technology, 41: 998-1003.
• B.S. Richards, A. Shalav (2007) Up-Conversion for Photovoltaics: Enhancing the Near Infrared Spectral Response of Silicon Solar Cells, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, 54(10): 2679-2684.

Academic Qualifications

• 2005 Graduate Certificate in University Learning and Teaching (University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia)
• 2002 PhD (Electrical Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia) "Novel Uses of Titanium Dioxide for Silicon Solar Cells"
• 1998 MEngSc (Photovoltaic Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia) "Optical characterisation of sputtered silicon thin films for photovoltaic applications"
• 1994 BSc (Physics, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand) .Awards and Prizes
• 2005 Mondialogo Engineering Award (UNESCO/DaimlerChrysler Partnership)
• 2003 Energy Globe Award (2nd Prize Category Water)

Awards and Prizes

• 2005 Mondialogo Engineering Award (UNESCO/DaimlerChrysler Partnership)
• 2003 Energy Globe Award (2nd Prize Category Water)

Other Information

• 2008 Professor in Solar Energy Systems, Heriot-Watt University, U.K.
• 2007-2008 Reader in Renewable Energy, Heriot-Watt University, U.K.
• 2006 Lecturer in Renewable Energy, Heriot-Watt University, U.K.
• 2006 Adjunct senior lecturer, Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems, Canberra, Australia
• 2006 Visiting Academic, Thin Film Physics, ETH Zürich, Switzerland
• 2005-2006 Australian Research Council Research Fellow, Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems, Canberra, Australia
• 2002-2005 Postdoctoral Research Fellow / Lecturer, ARC Centre of Excellence for Advanced Silicon Photovoltaics and Photonics, University of New South Wales, Australia
• 1996-1998 Research assistant, Centre for Photovoltaic Engineering, University of New South Wales, Australia
• 1995 Research Assistant, Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung, Stuttgart, Germany

Research Grants Awarded (with value >£10k)

• Mar 2008 - Mar 2011 DTI/TSB Technology Programme grant "High efficiency silicon solar cells with PECVD dielectric rear surface passivation - HIGHPOINT" (DT/F007345/1) together with NaREC (UK), HWU budget £366,095 over 3 years, PI Richards.
• Jun 2008 - May 2010 Scottish Enterprise Proof of Concept Programme "Clean Water from Clean Energy", together with Univ. Edinburgh, HWU budget: £124,321 no-FEC (co-PI).
• Jan - Dec 2008 UNESCO Scotland grant "Feasibility study of solar-powered membrane filtration technology for the purification of contaminated water in remote functional community in Africa (Stage 1)", together with Univ. Edinburgh and Univ. Dundee, £14,000 no-FEC (CI).
• Oct 2007 - Mar 2009 EPSRC grant "Photophysical Strategies and Novel NIR Dyes for Optimisation of Luminescent Solar Concentrators" (EP/F02763X/1), together with Univ. Edinburgh, HWU budget £161,000 (PI).
• Jan 2008 - Jun 2009 Royal Society Wolfson Laboratory Refurbishment grant "Renewable Energy Test Facility for Heriot-Watt University", HWU budget £50,000, matched by internal funding of £56,000 (PI).
• Jan 2007 - Dec 2008 Royal Society Brian Mercer Feasibility Award "Coloured photovoltaic windows for building integration", HWU budget £30,000 (PI).
• May 2006 - May 2008 Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage International grant "Enhancing the performance of thin film photovoltaic cells via the application of luminescent down shifting layers", together with ETH Zürich, ANU budget A$10,000 no-FEC (PI).
• Mar 2005 - Mar 2008 ARC Linkage grant "Enhancing the Understanding and Performance of Passivation Dielectric Coatings for Photo-Active Devices" together with SierraTherm Production Furnaces (USA) and SunPower Corp. (USA), including a three-year ARC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for Richards (relinquished Jul 2006 with move to HWU), ANU budget A$516,000 no-FEC (PI, until Jul 2006, then CI).
• Jun 2005 - May 2008 Industry funded grant: BASF, Germany "Fluorescence Conversion Photovoltaics", ANU budget €350,000 no-FEC (PI).
• Oct - Nov 2005 Field trip sponsorship from Australian industry, New South Wales and Federal governments "Solar-powered desalination system field trials in the Australian outback", ANU budget A$21,800 no-FEC.
• Jan 2004 - Jan 2006 ARC Linkage grant "Sustainable Technology for Removal of Trace Contaminants in Rural Water Supplies", together with Univ. Wollongong and Mono-Pumps (Australia), univ. budget A$330,000 no-FEC (CI).