Here comes more sun

Researchers working to make solar panels more efficient have made advances they hope will revolutionize the solar-energy market in the coming years.

At the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, scientists from Future Chips Constellation have created a special new coating they say allows panels to absorb sunlight from nearly any angle, reported CNN.

Cells treated with the anti-reflective coating reportedly will absorb more than 96 percent of the sunlight (typically, panels absorb about two-thirds). The scientists engineered this breakthrough using nanotechnology and estimate the product could be on the market within three years.

Meanwhile, other scientists have weighed in with cautious optimism. Their concern stems from researchers who note that an increase in light doesn’t necessarily translate into greater efficiency of the device.