With the mass of energy that our Sun generously showers us with daily, we have been unable to harness this power with any practical efficiency, until now. Euripides…

In recent weeks, some of the most powerful solar flares ever witnessed have sent electrically charged gas shooting toward the earth in so-called coronal mass ejections. But even without such impressive displays, the sun provides a wealth of energy to our planet.



Unfortunately, efforts to mass produce solar cells to harness energy from Sol have stalled at efficiencies of around 30 percent in the laboratory and less than 20 percent in commercial cells. A novel crystal described in a paper set to be published in the journal Physical Review Letters may change that, however.



Scientists report that the semiconductor material could form the basis of solar cells with nearly 50 percent efficiency.



In a standard photovoltaic cell,…



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