New ultra-thin solar panels use crystals to gain 1,000x efficiency

Scientists in Germany have engineered a major leap forward in solar panel design by devising plans for ultra-thin solar panels that are up to 1,000 times more efficient than conventional silicon models. The key is a new crystal-layering technique that could drastically change how we harvest energy from sunlight.

The team, working at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, built these next-generation panels using a special “crystal sandwich” of barium titanate, strontium titanate, and calcium titanate.