Even the most efficient solar cell loses a lot of energy in the form of wasted heat. But the electron-like particles that photons emit as they enter the cells could be turned into electrical energy, solving the heat loss problem. More »
Every home has at least one window, so why not turn that window into an energy-attracting solar panel? So goes the thinking of Norwegian company EnSol, which has patented a spray-on film that turns windows into solar panels. More »
Scientists have discovered that they can coax a tobacco plant into growing temporary solar cells by injecting it with a genetically engineered virus. Freaky, but the process may provide us with cheaper synthetic photovoltaic cells once quirks are sorted out. More »