What appears to be a breakthrough in technology by Go Sun Solutions in New Zealand could make solar power an attractive prospect for every household. Current solar panels are based on silicon which is an extremely common element within the earth's crust, however, refining it into a form useable for solar panels is a very energy-hungry process and gives fuel to those that argue that solar panels are an irrelevance (given this fact, they could be right).

In this new breakthrough scientists use photo sensitive dyes to produce electricity at a greatly reduced cost. Fortunately, isolating the elements needed for these dyes is a low energy process. Apparently many companies are interested in using this technology and these new panels could be in production by the end of this year. If this is true it could result in a massive change in the way we get our electricity, particularly as these solar panels work at low light levels. If solar energy beomes financially attractive, large numbers of people may make the switch, reducing carbon emissions and giving individuals greater freedom from large corporations.