WCPEC Awards

Prof. Vasilis Fthenakis, Founder and Director of the Center for Life Cycle Analysis at Columbia University and Senior Scientist Emeritus at Brookhaven National Laboratory, will receive the William Cherry award
 “for his pioneering research at the interface of energy and the environment that catalyzed photovoltaic technology advancement and deployment world-wide.” 

Vasilis was born in Greece, to a family of chemists.  He got his first degree in Chemistry from the National University of Athens, Greece.  He completed his MS degree in Chemical Engineering at Columbia and worked at Columbia’s Fossil Energy coal-biomass gasification pilot-plant before joining Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) as a research engineer on Energy Modeling and subsequently on Environmental  Health and Safety (EH&S).  While at BNL he obtained a PhD on Fluid Dynamics and Atmospheric Science from New York University. In 2006 he established a new Center for Life Cycle Analysis (CLCA).  Since then he has been sharing his time between BNL and Columbia. 

Vasilis’ pivotal work on PV –EH&S has enabled PV penetration in many global markets and for his contributions he was made Fellow of the International Energy Foundation and tasked to Head of the National Photovoltaic Environmental, Health and Safety (PV-EH&S) Center. The PV-EH&S Center assisted the US PV industry in maintaining safe and environmental facilities and its early studies created the “Gold standard” for EH&S in today’s production facilities. Fthenakis expanded the Center’s activities to Life Cycle Analysis and Recycling; he conceptualized and conducted innovative research on the life cycle of PV that opened the door to Europe and Asia for the U.S. thin film PV industry. 

He is the author of “Solar Electricity: Systems Integration and Sustainability, 2018”, editor of two books on Life Cycle Analysis, a book on  “3rd Generation Photovoltaics”, and author or co-author of about 400 scientific articles and reports. Among his more noteworthy publications is “A Solar Grand Plan” Scientific American, 2008 with Zweibel and Mason, which was translated into eleven languages. Other representative examples of his prolific work include the development of CdTe PV module recycling technologies, material resource assessments, and leading life-cycle studies that are a crucial contribution to today’s key debates about energy and climate change.  He serves in the Editorial Boards of Progress in Photovoltaics, Energy Technology, Energies and Journal of Loss Prevention.

Prof. Fthenakis will deliver his IEEE William Cherry Award acceptance talk on Tuesday June 12 at 17: 55 during the Conference “Outstanding Technical Achievements Awards Ceremony” (Monarchy Ballroom).

About the Award

This award is named in honor of William R. Cherry, a founder of the photovoltaic community. In the 1950's, he was instrumental in establishing solar cells as the ideal power source for space satellites and for recognizing, advocating, and nurturing the use of photovoltaic systems for terrestrial applications. The William R. Cherry award was instituted in l980, shortly after his death. The purpose of the award is to recognize an individual engineer or scientist who devoted a part of their professional life to the advancement of the science and technology of photovoltaic energy conversion. The nominee must have made significant contributions to the science and/or technology of PV energy conversion, with dissemination by substantial publications and presentations. Professional society activities, promotional and/or organizational efforts and achievements are not considerations in the election for the award.

Award Package

The award consists of a plaque, monetary award, recognition at the WCPEC-7 Opening Ceremony and a dedicated Cherry Award Talk during the Opening Ceremony. In addition, a reception is held in honor of the Cherry Award winner during the WCPEC-7.

Questions? Contact the Cherry Committee Awards Chair [email protected]

WILLIAM R. CHERRY COMMITTEE

Previous Recipients