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UK's Prince Harry Welcomes Princess Diana Interview Inquiry

Prince William alongside his mother and brother, Princess Diana and Prince Harry, in 1995 | Photo: GettyImages
Prince William alongside his mother and brother, Princess Diana and Prince Harry, in 1995 | Photo: GettyImages
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UK's Prince Harry Welcomes Princess Diana Interview Inquiry

Prince William alongside his mother and brother, Princess Diana and Prince Harry, in 1995 | Photo: GettyImages
Prince William alongside his mother and brother, Princess Diana and Prince Harry, in 1995 | Photo: GettyImages

Britain's Prince Harry has joined his brother William in welcoming a new investigation into how the BBC secured a famous and controversial 1995 interview with their mother Princess Diana, with a source describing it as a "drive for truth".

A former Supreme Court justice is leading a new inquiry into how the broadcaster obtained the interview and whether executives covered up any wrongdoing after accusations that the late princess was tricked into taking part.

Prince William, the second in line to the throne, said earlier this week that the investigation was a step in the right direction and a source close to Harry said on Saturday that the prince was getting regular updates.

The person familiar with the situation also questioned some British media reports which asked why Harry, living in California with his wife Meghan and son Archie, had not joined his brother in welcoming the investigation earlier.

"Sadly, some people are not just seeing this as a drive for truth, but also trying to use this as an opportunity to try to drive a wedge between the brothers," the person said.

Diana's Panorama interview with Martin Bashir was watched by more than 20 million viewers in Britain and became one of the defining moments of her failed marriage to Prince Charles.

It included an admission of an affair and the line that there "were three of us in this marriage", referring to Charles' relationship with his now second wife, Camilla Parker-Bowles.

This month, Diana's brother Charles Spencer said the BBC had failed to apologize for what he said were forged documents and "other deceit" which led him to introduce Diana to Bashir.

The BBC has said the broadcaster is determined to get to the truth about Spencer's assertions and has appointed John Dyson, one of the country's most senior retired judges, to lead the inquiry.

Bashir has made no public comment on the situation and the corporation says the journalist, who gained global renown from the interview, is currently on sick leave, recovering from heart surgery and from contracting COVID-19.

Harry and Meghan moved to California after stepping back from royal duties in January and have signed a multi-year production deal with Netflix as part of their plans to be more financially independent.

The source added that the couple had decided to share their property in England, Frogmore Cottage, with his cousin Eugenie but would stay there when they visit the UK.

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Japan Sees Bright Future for Ultra-Thin, Flexible Solar Panels

Japan is hoping ultra-thin, flexible solar panels made from perovskite will help it meet renewable energy goals. (AFP)
Japan is hoping ultra-thin, flexible solar panels made from perovskite will help it meet renewable energy goals. (AFP)
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Japan Sees Bright Future for Ultra-Thin, Flexible Solar Panels

Japan is hoping ultra-thin, flexible solar panels made from perovskite will help it meet renewable energy goals. (AFP)
Japan is hoping ultra-thin, flexible solar panels made from perovskite will help it meet renewable energy goals. (AFP)

Japan is heavily investing in a new kind of ultra-thin, flexible solar panel that it hopes will help it meet renewable energy goals while challenging China's dominance of the sector.

Pliable perovskite panels are perfect for mountainous Japan, with its shortage of flat plots for traditional solar farms. And a key component of the panels is iodine, something Japan produces more of than any country but Chile, reported AFP.

The push faces some obstacles: perovskite panels contain toxic lead, and, for now, produce less power and have shorter lifespans than their silicon counterparts.

Still, with a goal of net-zero by 2050 and a desire to break China's solar supremacy, perovskite cells are "our best card to achieve both decarbonization and industrial competitiveness," minister of industry Yoji Muto said in November.

The government is offering generous incentives to get industry on board, including a 157-billion-yen ($1 billion) subsidy to plastic maker Sekisui Chemical for a factory to produce enough perovskite solar panels to generate 100 megawatts by 2027, enough to power 30,000 households.

By 2040, Japan wants to install enough perovskite panels to generate 20 gigawatts of electricity, equivalent to adding about 20 nuclear reactors.

That should help Japan's target to have renewable energy cover up to 50 percent of electricity demand by 2040.

- Breaking the silicon ceiling -

The nation is looking to solar power, including perovskite and silicon-based solar cells, to cover up to 29 percent of all electricity demand by that time, a sharp rise from 9.8 percent in 2023.

"To increase the amount of renewable energy and achieve carbon neutrality, I think we will have to mobilize all the technologies available," said Hiroshi Segawa, a specialist in next-generation solar technology at the University of Tokyo.

"Perovskite solar panels can be built domestically, from the raw materials to production to installation. In that sense, they could significantly contribute to things like energy security and economic security," he told AFP.

Tokyo wants to avoid a repeat of the past boom and bust of the Japanese solar business.

In the early 2000s, Japanese-made silicon solar panels accounted for almost half the global market.

Now, China controls more than 80 percent of the global solar supply chain, from the production of key raw material to assembling modules.

Silicon solar panels are made of thin wafers that are processed into cells that generate electricity.

They must be protected by reinforced glass sheets and metal frames, making the final products heavy and cumbersome.

Perovskite solar cells, however, are created by printing or painting ingredients such as iodine and lead onto surfaces like film or sheet glass.

The final product can be just a millimeter thick and a tenth the weight of a conventional silicon solar cell.

Perovskite panels' malleability means they can be installed on uneven and curved surfaces, a key feature in Japan, where 70 percent of the country is mountainous.

- Generating where power is used -

The panels are already being incorporated into several projects, including a 46-storey Tokyo building to be completed by 2028.

The southwestern city of Fukuoka has also said it wants to cover a domed baseball stadium with perovskite panels.

And major electronics brand Panasonic is working on integrating perovskite into windowpanes.

"What if all of these windows had solar cells integrated in them?" said Yukihiro Kaneko, general manager of Panasonic's perovskite PV development department, gesturing to the glass-covered high-rise buildings surrounding the firm's Tokyo office.

That would allow power to be generated where it is used, and reduce the burden on the national grid, Kaneko added.

For all the enthusiasm, perovskite panels remain far from mass production.

They are less efficient than their silicon counterparts, and have a lifespan of just a decade, compared to 30 years for conventional units.

The toxic lead they contain also means they need careful disposal after use.

However, the technology is advancing fast. Some prototypes can perform nearly as powerfully as silicon panels and their durability is expected to reach 20 years soon.

University professor Segawa believes Japan could have a capacity of 40 gigawatts from perovskite by 2040, while the technology could also speed up renewable uptake elsewhere.

"We should not think of it as either silicon or perovskite. We should look at how we can maximize our ability to utilize renewable energy," Segawa said.

"If Japan could show a good model, I think it can be brought overseas."