Description
On 1 August 1990 the Commonwealth Government announced the approval of ARC Special Research Centre funding for the establishment of the Centre for Photovoltaic Devices and Systems, to be headed by Professor Martin Green. The Centre commenced operations from 1 January 1991. The Centre was initially located in the School of Electrical Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering (file 901657). On 8 August 1996, Professor Green stated that following the conditions for renewal of funding, the Centre would be re-named the Photovoltaics Special Research Centre as of that date. This was noted by the Vice-Chancellor on 10 August 1996 (file 961746). On 9 November 1998 Council changed the name of the School of Electrical Engineering to the School of Electrical Engineering & Telecommunications (resolution CL98/80b). At the end of 1999 the Photovoltaics Special Research Centre completed the maximum 9-year period of support from the Australian Research Council. The Founding Director, Dr Martin Green, resigned from his position of Director as at the end of 1999 to take up the position of Director of the ARC Special Research Centre in Third Generation Photovoltaics which commenced at the university in January 2000. However an on-going role for the Photovoltaics Special Research Centre had been approved with Dr Jianhua Zhao, Dr Christiana Honsberg and Dr Armin Aberle as the new Directors, with funding to be sought through a variety of sources. From 1 January 2000, with the establishment of the Centre for Photovoltaic Engineering (file 982464) as an independent unit within the Faculty of Engineering the Photovoltaics Special Research Centre was located under the Centre. 2000 was the first year the Special Centre operated without ARC funding so its income was significantly less. To find additional income from other sources was identified as one of the highest financial priorities of the Centre by the end of 2000. In December 2002 approval was given for a new ARC Centre of Excellence for Advanced Silicon Photovoltaics and Photonics to be established. Staff members of the Centre for Photovoltaic Engineering were affiliated with the Centre of Excellence and it seems the staff and activities of the Photovoltaic Special Research Centre were integrated into this new this new Centre of Excellence and the Photovoltaics Special Research Centre ceased to exist. Controlling Organisation: UNSW - 01/01/1991-13/06/2003