The most efficient solar cell ever made can convert almost half of the sunlight that reaches it into electricity. If widely available, such a powerful cell – with double the efficiency of the standard solar panel on sale today – could slash the cost of solar energy, as well as the amount of land and material needed to build it.
The problem is that such ultra-efficient cells were designed to power satellites in space and were made using extremely expensive materials. Those dollars are a drop in the bucket…