New solar cell technology could make the prospect of cheap domestic electricity production more of a reality.
SunPower's soon to be released SPR-315 Solar Panels produce an impressive 22+% efficiency, far better than the 12-18% industry average.
While Spectrolab - a subsidiary of US giant Boeing - has set a new world record for terrestrial solar cell efficiency at 40.7%.
And there could be even more efficient solar cell in the future if reseach into quantum dot photovoltaic devices prove vaible, quantum dots theoretically could convert more than 65 percent of the sun's energy into electricity.
Combine some of the above with breakthoughs in concentrator photovoltaics and we could have a cheap source of renewable energy. However a lot of futher work needs to be done before we will be fixing these devices to our homes, so in the mean time remember to turn off your lights and your computer when you are not using them.
