# An Interview with Sam Stranks

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2019-03-10
- Length: 1h 10m
- Episode: 433
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-03-10-an-interview-with-sam-stranks
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/433-an-interview-with-sam-stranks/

## Summary

Chris Gammell, a physicist at Cambridge University and co-founder of Swift Solar, explains the rapid efficiency gains in perovskite solar cells, which have jumped from 3% to over 24% in just a few years. He details the material's unique defect tolerance, low-temperature solution processing, and potential for lightweight, printed tandem cells that could drastically reduce installation costs. Gammell also discusses non-solar applications like LEDs and lasers, while noting that ion migration remains a key stability challenge for commercial viability.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-03-10-an-interview-with-sam-stranks#t=0) Introduction: Chris Gammell and Perovskite History
- [4:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-03-10-an-interview-with-sam-stranks#t=264) Chris Gammell's Background: Physics, Chemistry, and Wine Research
- [11:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-03-10-an-interview-with-sam-stranks#t=711) From Carbon Nanotubes to Perovskites: The 2012 Breakthrough
- [21:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-03-10-an-interview-with-sam-stranks#t=1314) Lab Setup: Spin Coating, Clean Rooms, and Solar Simulators
- [25:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-03-10-an-interview-with-sam-stranks#t=1525) Perovskite vs. Silicon: Absorption, Thickness, and Efficiency
- [33:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-03-10-an-interview-with-sam-stranks#t=2008) Material Composition: Methyl Ammonium Lead Iodide and Defect Tolerance
- [43:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-03-10-an-interview-with-sam-stranks#t=2630) Testing with Lasers: Measuring Charge Lifetime and Defects
- [55:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-03-10-an-interview-with-sam-stranks#t=3308) Non-Solar Applications: LEDs, Lasers, and Transistors
- [1:00:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-03-10-an-interview-with-sam-stranks#t=3636) Swift Solar: Tandem Cells, Lightweight Sheets, and Commercialization

## Topics

- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Energy & climate tech](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/energy-and-climate-tech)
- [Prototyping & iteration](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/prototyping)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Debugging & failure analysis](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/debugging-and-failure-analysis)
- [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Swift Solar (company)
- Cambridge University (other)
- Oxford (other)
- MIT (other)
- Stanford (other)
- Samsung (company)
- IBM (company)
- Solar City (company)
- Home Depot (company)
- PVEducation.org (other)
- Scientific American (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [30% More Power, 20% Lower Costs: Scott Graybeal on Solar’s Step-Change Moment](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2026-03-05-30-more-power-20-lower-costs-scott-graybeal-on-solars-step-change-moment) (Hardware to Save a Planet)
- [77. Scaling Renewables With Novel Energy Harvesting & Storage Technologies](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2022-07-05-77-scaling-renewables-with-novel-energy-harvesting-storage-technologies) (The Next Byte Podcast)
- [33. The Solar Panel That Broke The World Record](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2021-08-31-33-the-solar-panel-that-broke-the-world-record) (The Next Byte Podcast)
- [82. 3D Printing Space Sensors & Solar Cell Windows](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2022-08-09-82-3d-printing-space-sensors-solar-cell-windows) (The Next Byte Podcast)
- [Advancing Battery Innovation for a Power Grid Under Pressure w/ Arwed Niestroj](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2026-05-19-advancing-battery-innovation-for-a-power-grid-under-pressure-w-arwed-niestroj) (The Manufacturing Executive)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-03-10-an-interview-with-sam-stranks. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to The Amp Hour.