UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Energy Technologies

The UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Energy Technologies (SET) is dedicated to the development of low-cost, efficient and sustainable solar technologies. It focusses on their manufacture and use within a circular economy in Africa and low and middle income economies.

In collaboration with colleagues at Swansea and partners across these regions, Professor Matthew Davies is co-ordinating a network to develop next-generation printable photovoltaic technologies for low and middle-income countries.

The Chair was awarded in 2024 for an initial four-year period.

The Challenge

One of the greatest challenges facing humanity is the generation of clean, affordable, and reliable renewable energy. This task is vital for sustainable development and addressing global challenges and opportunities.

Nowhere is this more important than across the continent of Africa – an area blessed with abundant solar energy, natural wealth and a resourceful and innovative labour force. Yet, more than 500 million people lack access to electricity and many more endure fuel poverty or suffer inconsistent energy supplies.

Emerging technologies like printable photovoltaics are well-positioned to make an impact – particularly organic and perovskite devices, which promise high-efficiencies and low material and processing costs.

However, renewable systems and components are rarely designed with the specific needs of low and middle-income economies in mind. This can lead to failure of technologies and generation of hazardous electronic waste in places where there are few facilities to treat it safely.

How the Chair addresses these issues

The aim of this Chair is to equip local communities with the knowledge and tools to harness the sun’s energy, transform waste into wealth, and build a brighter future through truly sustainable photovoltaic technologies.

As an international collaborative network, it advances the development of emerging photovoltaic technologies for low- and middle-income economies.

Critically, it links the technical and engineering aspects of their development with broader considerations such as circular economy principles, social issues, and education.

Three principles underpin the Chair's work

Collaboration and Co-creation

The Chair is growing connections between academia, industry, policymakers, and local communities, united in a quest for sustainable development.

This supportive network seeks to foster local sustainable energy solutions through a science-based approach. It will forge innovative solutions that break down barriers and create positive change.

If you would like to learn more about the network, contact Professor Matthew Davies.

Circular Economy

The sustainability and availability of materials for manufacturing printable PV technologies is critical.

The Chair includes work to map and shorten supply chains, to substitute critical materials where possible, and to develop ways to re-use and recycle key materials. This includes the (re)design of technologies with industry, academics, end-users, and communities through co-creation to deliver technologies that are fit for use for low- and middle-income economies.

Designing this in at an early stage will help prevent the developed technologies from contributing to the global e-waste problem at the end of their useful life, retaining components in economically and environmentally useful material flows.

Education and Entrepreneurship

The Chair is advancing education into renewable technologies and their potential to address societal needs by promoting opportunities for new business models and entrepreneurship.

Through hands-on workshops, training programs, and collaborative research projects, it aims to empower individuals to become agents of change in their own communities.

Professor Matthew Davies

Professor Matthew Davies holds the UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Energy Technologies. He is Professor and Head of Applied Photochemistry and Circular Economy at Swansea University.

Professor Davies also holds the position of Honorary Professor in the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and President of its Environment, Sustainability and Energy Community Council.

He researches the photochemistry of materials for low-cost photovoltaic applications, with the aim of improving stability, light-harvesting efficiency and performance. This mainly focusses on perovskite solar cells but also dye-sensitised solar cells and organic photovoltaics. Matthew is particularly interested in re-manufactured devices and materials and processes to enable re-use and re-manufacture within a circular economy.

Professor Matthew Davies

UNESCO Chair Partners

Swansea University Team

Professor Matthew Davies, Head of the Applied Photochemistry Group and the UNESCO Chairholder

Professor Trystan Watson, with expertise in the scale of printable PV and track record of delivering low-cost manufacturing approaches for partners in Mexico.

Dr Jenny Baker specialises in lifecycle analysis and the development of remanufacturing approaches for battery technologies.

Professor Krijn Peters, a rural development sociologist specialised in post-war reconstruction, international development, transport services and technology.

Professor James Durrant FRS CBE brings world-leading expertise concerning understanding the fundamental chemical processes of solar energy conversion applications, including third-generation PV and molecular fuels, particularly hydrogen.

Sharon Bishop, Communications Manager, SPECIFIC Innovation and Knowledge Centre.

Professor Ian Mabbett, Professor in Chemistry, Swansea University

Dr Sarah-Jane Potts, Technology Transfer Fellow, SPECIFIC Innovation and Knowledge Centre.

Dr Mark Spratt, Project Manager, TEA at SUNRISE.