Sunday, October 7, 9am-11am on Channel Nine
He is tagged "China's richest man" but Zhengrong Shi, said to be worth $4 billion, is much more. A brilliant scientist who, importantly, holds an Australian passport, is a human catalyst for the remarkable inroads solar energy is making into conventional energy sources.
Just 10 years ago Dr Shi was waiting on tables to fund his way through the University of New South Wales. While studying there he was recognised as a rising star by his professor, Martin Green.
"He was quite brilliant in the research he was conducting and the results he was gaining. So he completed a PhD at this university that was as good as any PhD ever done and he probably did it in record time."
That PhD - and subsequent work with his professors Martin Green and Stuart Wenham created a breakthrough for the viability of solar energy. But rather than start his revolutionary industry here he was lured to China with the promise of start-up funding and government assistance. The opportunity to keep Zhengrong Shi and the burgeoning industry in this country was lost as former NSW Premier Bob Carr laments.
"He should have been nurtured to get that up and running in Australia and we should have seized that as an opportunity to showcase what a Chinese migrant to Australia could do with ideas developed in an Aussie university. We missed that opportunity. But I hope we learn from it," Carr said.
Sunday this week reveals how Australia trained Dr Shi, then lost his wealth to China.
Nine's Business & Finance Editor, Ross Greenwood, travelled to Wuxi, in China, to interview Dr Shi and bring this incredible tale of how Australia welcomes bright students, but does not do enough to hold their initiatives here.
