Instead of a plaque or a piece of silver, US Vice President Kamala Harris received an unusual gift from President Isaac Herzog during his visit to Washington – a solar panel developed by researchers at Bar-Ilan University (BIU) in Ramat Gan in recognition of her advocacy for environmental policy and support of green energy and reducing emissions.
The unique panel, consisting of 676 different solar cells composed of different materials that produce electrical energy from the sun’s rays, was developed by Prof. Arie Zaban, a distinguished materials scientist and BIU’s president. and Dr. Hannah-Noa Barad, from the Energy and Sustainability Center.
What was the gift?
At the special request of the President's Office, the 7x7 cm panel was specially designed and encased in a glass box resting on a wooden platform, with a small plaque bearing the following inscription:
The future of everlasting solar panels –
A new class of PV panels comprised of multi-element materials developed by AI-based combinatorial materials science.
Dr. Hannah-Noa Barad & Prof. Arie Zaban
Center for Energy and Sustainability
Bar-Ilan University, Israel
“The panel consists of 676 different materials that are individual solar cells to convert the sun's energy into electrical energy,” explained Barad, who conducted the research. “This is the future of solar panels and the use of solar energy. The technology is more efficient and is also significantly cheaper than what currently exists on the market, so it is expected to enable a more extensive use of green energy in the future.”
Barad leads a research group for the development of materials used to produce sustainable energy at BIU’s chemistry department and Center for Energy and Sustainability. “Caring for the environment was an integral part of the education I received from my parents. I was raised to recycle from a very early age. At the beginning of my academic career, I heard a lecture by Prof. Zaban, who spoke about climate change, after which I decided to join his laboratory and research the subject for my doctoral degree.”
Barad and her team are working to expand the use of solar energy by identifying different materials to replace the silicon component in solar cells for converting sunlight into electricity with an abundant, cheap, and efficient substitute for the production of these cells.
“We are also researching catalysts for recycling and conversion of carbon dioxide into usable fuel materials and value-added molecules for the chemical industry. Thus, through the two technologies, solar energy and carbon dioxide recycling, we will be able to lower carbon dioxide emissions and switch to the green energy, something that will help solve the climate crisis in the future,” Barad concluded.