Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has appointed a leading expert in solar energy technology to the state’s Climate Change Council.
University of Queensland’s Professor Paul Meredith will join existing prominent science, business and industry leaders from across the country who were appointed for a second term to the Council.
The Premier’s Council on Climate Change is chaired by the Premier; with Minister for Climate Change Kate Jones as Deputy Chair. Minister for Natural Resources Stephen Robertson has also joined the Council for its second term.
Professor Meredith relocated from England to Queensland in 2001 to continue his research into solar power. He will lead the development of a paper for the Council on the opportunities for solar power use and the solar power industry in Queensland.
Professor Meredith is the co-founder of Xerocoat, which is a coating for solar panels which improves the efficiency of the solar cells; and has a special interest in researching organic alternatives to the current inorganic materials that are used in solar energy production. Using organic polymers, Professor Meredith says it should be possible to create solar panels for a fraction of the price, operating at similar efficiencies, with a lower impact on the environment
Members of the Climate Change Council will help develop policy and initiatives based on their sectoral experience and knowledge and its achievements to date include the establishment of the Queensland Government’s ClimateSmart Home Service, contributions to reforms in the building sector for energy efficiency and work on capturing carbon in the rural landscape.
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