New ultrathin “honeycomb” solar panels achieve record efficiency

by Megan Richardson

Scientists from the University of Surrey and Imperial College London have developed a new solar panel that is only a millimeter thick yet absorbs 25 percent more energy than similar sized panels, according to The Optimist Daily. This new solar panel was inspired by butterflies wings which have a bumpy surface that absorbs more light than a flat surface. With this technology, solar panels are able to absorb light from more angles, creating the more efficient panel. 

These solar panels will be important for harnessing more energy in general, but also perhaps especially helpful for countries and climates that don’t get as much sun as some of the warmer, sunnier climates. Another useful place that these solar panels could be used are in outer space to create a sustainable power source where otherwise you wouldn’t have one. This could be used on exploration projects or even on satellites orbiting our planet.

These technological advances are imperative for our future as we continue to use more renewable energy. They also highlight how we can look to nature as a blueprint for making our technological advances, an approach and process known as biomimicry.