Solar concentrators continue to impress

Increase solar cell efficiency by a factor of 40

New research on solar collectors might finally achieve what no other breakthrough in solar power has been able to accomplish: make solar power cheaply and easily cost-effective. By adding some solar cells around the edge of glass, mixing in a few dyes and light can be gathered and concentrated in a way that increases the electricity gathered by a traditional solar cell by a factor of 40 according to LiveScience. More important, because of its simplistic design such solar concentrators could be mass-produced and widely available within 3 years.