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Niraj Lal (Class of 2001) was named one of the ABC’s Top 5 Scientists Under 40 in 2016 for his research on solar cell nanophotonics.

He is currently a Visiting Fellow at the ANU Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems, Principal at Australian Energy Market Operator, Project Lead of Essential System Services Workstream of the Energy Security Board Post-2025 Market Design Program, as well as a TV presenter and public speaker.

Recently we had a chance to spot Niraj (Class of 2001) in an episode of ABC’s popular Catalyst program. Catalyst explores the forefront of science and technology and brings compelling stories by looking at the latest in science, from health and medical breakthroughs to astronomy, environment, and agriculture.

Dr Niraj Lal hosts the episode called ‘The Grid: Powering the Future’ in which he travels across the country to see what work is being done to harness green energy, to power our future reliably — and keep Australia’s lights on.

Along the journey he finds himself in Flinders Island, Tasmania, to see how a microgrid — an independent energy system that can use multiple sources of renewable energy combined with a battery — is drastically reducing both their dependence on fossil fuels and risk of blackouts. And ANU researcher Dr Bjorn Sturmberg shows how electric vehicles and rooftop solar panels are paving the way towards a more distributed and localised grid that we can all have more control over.

You can watch the whole episode online here: https://iview.abc.net.au/show/catalyst/series/22

In the past we have shared several stories about Dr Niraj Lal (2001) and his diverse career, which you can find here: https://radfordcollegians.com.au/collegian/niraj-lal/