Aug 7, 2026 · 25 min · 10 segments
Today, solar PV is the fastest-growing energy source in the world. Yet that would not have been possible without a history of innovation spanning decades. From the breakthrough discovery of a…
Simon BennettGuest
Dan HewittHost
Greg NemetGuest
Danielle MerfeldGuest
Takeru BesshoGuest
We're looking at the ideas and inventions that have transformed our energy systems and, as a result, the world we live in.
And in this episode, we're looking at the breakthrough that allowed solar power to become the fastest-growing energy source in history, the silicon solar cell.
[upbeat music] Solar panels are now a little bit below the cost of a, of a plywood, of a board that you would use as a construction material that has no electronic aspect.
The long arc is where we have a world where clean, cheap energy is just assumed.
I mean, that changes the nature of which countries and which regions are the energy superpowers.
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We're looking at the ideas and inventions that have transformed our energy systems and, as a result, the world we live in.
And in this episode, we're looking at the breakthrough that allowed solar power to become the fastest-growing energy source in history, the silicon solar cell.
[upbeat music] Solar panels are now a little bit below the cost of a, of a plywood, of a board that you would use as a construction material that has no electronic aspect.
The long arc is where we have a world where clean, cheap energy is just assumed.
I mean, that changes the nature of which countries and which regions are the energy superpowers.