VASILIS M. FTHENAKIS is the founder and director of the Center for Life Cycle Analysis, Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering, Columbia University, New York, USA. He is also a senior scientist emeritus at Brookhaven National Laboratory where he conducted research for 36 years and directed the National Photovoltaics Environmental Research Center and several international networks. Dr. Fthenakis is the coauthor and editor of four books and about 400 scientific publications on topics at the interface of energy life cycles and the environment. Currently, he is leading research on solar desalination, energy systems modeling, life-cycle analysis, chemical process safety, and PV recycling. Vasilis Fthenakis is the recipient of the William R. Cherry Award 2018. The Cherry Award recognizes an individual engineer or scientist who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of the science and technology of photovoltaic energy conversion, with dissemination by substantial publications and presentations.