“The solar cells we have developed could provide the additional power we need to meet the Paris agreement.”

Awarded the 13th BBVA Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Basic Sciences, Michael Grätzel explains in this interview how the development of dye-sensitized solar cells opened a new avenue for capturing light energy. He reflects on the combination of chemistry, physics, and nanotechnology that made this advance possible, and on how innovative materials are transforming clean energy production. His insights highlight the potential of science to drive sustainable solutions.

The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Basic Sciences category has gone in this thirteenth edition to A. Paul Alivisatos (University of California, Berkeley, United States) and Michael Grätzel (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland) for their fundamental contributions to the development of new nanomaterials already in use for the production of renewable energies and in latest-generation electronics