This is why Shawn-Yu Lin of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute thinks he can change the solar power game:
To get maximum efficiency when converting solar power
into electricity, you want a solar panel that can absorb nearly every
single photon of light, regardless of the sun’s position in the sky.
Our new antireflective coating makes this possible.
Think this is mere enthusiasm, maybe not. Read on
Seven Coating Layers Enhance Each Other’s Ability to Absorb Light
Lin says that he’s gotten around the problem of solar panels absorbing
only part of the light which hits them by develop a seven-layer coating
which allows the panel to absorb 96.21% of the sunlight that falls on
it. This compares to untreated panels which may only be able to use
about two-thirds of the light hitting them.
What’s more, because this coating allows the panel to do this with
all angles of light hitting it, it could eliminate the practice used by
some solar arrays of using mechanical trackers to follow the sun
throughout the day.
Each Layer 50-100 Nanometers Thick
Further describing the multi-layer coating, RPI’s press release stated,
The seven layers, each with a height of 50 nanometers
to 100 nanometers, are made up of silicon dioxide and titanium dioxide
nanorods positioned at an oblique angle — each layer looks and
functions similar to a dense forest where sunlight is “captured”
between the trees. The nanorods were attached to a silicon substrate
via chemical vapor disposition [...] the new coating can be affixed to
nearly any photovoltaic materials for use in solar cells, including
III-V multi-junction and cadmium telluride.
More details of the research were published this week in Optics Letters (account required for full article).
News 
