King Charles has hailed the work of Oxford PV, a British company producing next-generation solar panels, as “wonderful,” but joked about the “disaster” of his plaque unveiling during a visit to the firm’s headquarters.
The King toured the Oxford-based company, which has developed solar panels over 20% more efficient than conventional products, describing them as “so vitally needed.” He told staff: “I hope you can speed up the transition a bit,” in a reference to moving away from fossil fuels.
There was a lighter moment when Charles pulled a sheet to unveil a plaque, quipping “disaster” after it tumbled to the ground from an easel. The King, who has championed sustainability for decades, also joked about being delayed by 45 minutes due to bad weather forcing him to switch from helicopter to car.
Charles was shown the research lab and an electron microscope image of perovskite, a material layered on silicon to boost efficiency. He appeared impressed by potential applications in car manufacturing, aeronautics, and satellites.
David Ward, chief executive of Oxford PV, said the firm is shipping “pilot volumes” to early customers after a decade of work, adding: “Solar right now is the cheapest form of energy generation.”
