April 28th, 2007
Ever heard of three-dimensional solar cells? They are unique and yes, they capture most of the light that strike them. And yes, I think they are the "new age" solar cells too.
According to Jud Ready of the Georgia Tech Research Institute, Electro-optical Systems Lab, these cells have higher efficiency because efficiency increases as the sunlight goes away from the perpendicular. That explains why solar cells move, by the way, in case you didn't know that a mechanical devices moves a panel in such a fashion that it receives the optimum angle of sunlight.
If you think 3D solar cells are groundbreaking, take a look at the rest of the article and get blown away.