In the energy sector, economic factors drive decision-making, therefore, researchers are continually looking for ways to make solar cells more durable and more efficient at converting sunlight into electricity. Silicon solar cells currently dominate the market, but have well-documented efficiency limitations. "Each photon of light can only knock loose a single electron, even if that photon carried twice the energy needed to do so" (
MIT). Now, a group of researchers from MIT and Princeton University have demonstrated a method for getting high-energy photons striking silicon to kick out two electrons instead of one, opening the door for a new kind of solar cell with greater efficiency.
