KATE TRINKAUS

I've always aspired to do meaningful work to protect our planet, and I love learning about physics – the study of solar energy technology combines these two interests. I decided to pursue a physics undergraduate degree so I could one day carry out research in this field, and I’m currently in my third year of my doctorate at the University of Oxford. I’m studying a new sustainable and lightweight type of solar panel made of carbon-based molecules and how to make them more efficient at turning light into electricity. This technology, called organic solar cells, can be produced using the same commercially scalable technique that is already used to make the OLEDs in our televisions and phone screens. Manufacturing these solar panels has a very low carbon footprint and low material usage, and they are also more versatile in their potential applications as they can be thin, lightweight, and flexible, so they could fill gaps where silicon panels can’t be installed. For example, they can be used on vertical facades, wearables, or less sturdy structures like older buildings and emergency tents. They also can be semitransparent and tinted different colors, making them ideal for building-integrated projects like solar windows or even greenhouses. Currently, they are less efficient at producing electricity than the silicon panels we typically see on rooftops today, so my research involves investigating different ways we can improve their performance and help this technology accelerate the renewable energy transition.

This investigation into new renewable energy technologies is fascinating and valuable, but as a young person facing the imminent impacts of the climate crisis, I know it is imperative to ensure that they can actually be implemented quickly and at scale, alongside just and equitable access. Through working in this field and realizing how many excellent climate solutions already exist, and how many startups of new technologies struggle to get off the ground amidst the existing dominant ones, I became increasingly concerned. So, as I continue my scientific research, I’ve begun exploring work at the science-policy interface. Prior to beginning my doctorate, I spent a year working with grassroots environmental organizations including Sierra Club Connecticut and New Haven Climate Movement which allowed me to be immersed in on-the-ground advocacy at a state and community level. In 2023, I had the opportunity to participate in the UKERC International Summer School in Global Just Transition: Equity in Net Zero to broaden this perspective and gain a better big-picture understanding of how a just clean energy transition can be carried out effectively on a global scale. This past year, I worked with the Swiss Young Academy on a report about educational opportunities for scientists to learn about how to engage with policymakers and advocate for evidence-informed policymaking that addresses society’s most pressing challenges. And while my educational and work experience is in the science and technology sector, I know that technology alone will not save us if we continue to produce and consume at the pace we are now. We need to simultaneously challenge the exploitative social, political, and economic systems that act as though we can have infinite growth on a finite planet. I am still unsure at this point whether I will end up bringing my scientific background to the policy sphere, or my continually developing policy knowledge and communication skills to the world of science and technology, but I know that this intersection is crucial for how humanity will handle the ecological, social, and economic crises we are living through.

You can find Kate here on LinkedIn  and Bluesky! 

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