They plan to continue improving the voltage and current levels and think that the technology could be on par with conventional solar cells within three years, but with the advantage of using natural materials. (treehugger.com)
The system the researchers tested used a type of solar cell known as dye - sensitized solar cells, a lightweight and inexpensive type where the active layer is composed of titanium dioxide, rather than the silicon used in conventional solar cells. (foresight.org)
The thin - film copper - indium - gallium - selenide (CIGS) photovoltaic layer also helps to lower the price so that they're cheaper conventional solar cells made from silicon. (blogs.scientificamerican.com)