The University of Toledo
03/23/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/23/2026 01:31
UToledo Physicist to Discuss Science, Policy and Public Perceptions of Solar Energy at UToledo Lake Erie Center
UToledo Physicist to Discuss Science, Policy and Public Perceptions of Solar Energy at UToledo Lake Erie Center
The University of Toledo will host a free, public lecture on the science, technology, and community perceptions of solar energy on Thursday, March 26 the UToledo Lake Erie Center located at 6200 Bay Shore Road in Oregon.
"From Sunshine to Electricity: Science, Technology, Public Policy and the Wide-Ranging Perceptions of Solar Energy" begins at 7 p.m.
Dr. Randy Ellingson will discuss the science of converting sunlight into electricity, as well as the differing public perceptions about solar power.
Dr. Randy Ellingson, a professor in the UToledo Department of Physics and Astronomy and researcher with the Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization, will present the lecture.
Ellingson will describe the basic scientific principles behind photovoltaic (PV) technology - the process of converting sunlight directly into electricity - and explore the complex materials science challenges that researchers are working to solve to improve PV resilience and efficiency.
He will also share perspectives on the scientific, technological, environmental, economic, political and policy dimensions of solar energy as a potential source of the safe, low-carbon energy needed to power Earth's transition away from fossil fuels.
The talk will examine why, despite its many promising attributes, utility-scale solar energy generates wide-ranging and sometimes conflicting perceptions in Ohio communities and beyond.
Ellingson heads a collaborative research project developing new materials and thin film solar cell architectures, which simultaneously absorb and efficiently convert electromagnetic radiation from the sun while withstanding the high-energy particle radiation and large temperature fluctuations experienced by cells in the near-Earth orbital space environment.
As a leader in thin-film photovoltaic technology, this and related UToledo research carried out by Ellingson and his Wright Center colleagues, including Michael Heben, Yanfa Yan, Nikolas Podraza, Zhaoning Song, and Adam Phillips, has support from the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Department of Energy.
The University of Toledo is recognized among the country's top-tier research universities with the prestigious R1 Classification from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
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