Found on Newslok World: Did you know that the energy that reaches Earth in the form of sunlight in one hour is more than that used by all human activities in one year?
A new technology promises to harness more solar energy at fraction of the cost.

After more than 10 years of work, scientists at New Zealand’s Massey University’s Nanomaterials Research Centre have developed a range of colored dyes for use in dye-sensitized solar cells.

The green-hued dyes are actually synthetic chlorophyll derived from the light-harvesting pigment plants use for photosynthesis.

Solar cells containing these green dyes promise to generate electricity from sunlight at a 10th of the cost of current silicon-based photovoltaic solar cells.

Apart from solar cells, researchers say users can apply these dyes to tinted windows to generate electricity.

The new dye-coated solar cells can even trap solar energy in low-light/cloudy conditions.

Moreover, the new dye-sensitive solar cells are environment-friendly as they are made of titanium dioxide. The manufacture of silicon–based solar cells involves heavy usage of energy and materials.

Researchers also plan to incorporate these green dyes into roofing materials, wall panels and many other fixtures that get routine solar exposure.

Information for the more technically minded can be found here.