ENERGY - Evolution inspires more efficient solar cell design: Geometric pattern maximizes time light is trapped in solar cell

(Phys.org)-The sun's energy is virtually limitless, but harnessing its electricity with today's single-crystal silicon solar cells is extremely expensive-10 times pricier than coal, according to some estimates. Organic solar cells-polymer solar cells that use organic materials to absorb light and convert it into electricity-could be a solution, but current designs suffer because polymers have less-than-optimal electrical properties.

http://phys.org/news/2013-01-evolution-efficient-solar-cell-geometric.