The film can convert up to 30 per cent of the sun's power into usable, electrical energy. Today's best plastic solar cells capture only about six per cent.
Sargent and other researchers combined specially-designed minute particles called quantum dots, three to four nanometres across, with a polymer to make a plastic that can detect energy in the infrared.
Infrared light is not visible to the naked eye but it is what most remote controls emit, in small amounts, to control devices such as TVs and DVD players.Link
And even more in depth data may be found here
LOL, like I say to all the prophets of a bright new tomorrow, who haven't paid attention to the last 50 years of broken promises and failed dreams...
Ping me when they actually begin shipping product!
In the mean time the table in post #104 represents the most advanced current state of the art actually in production. And the best you can get is the energy equivelent of 2 measly ounces of gasoline per day, per square meter of very, very expensive PV cell.
Deal with the reality, not your dreams!
--Boot Hill
Doing nothing converts no energy at all. So we are still stuck with the problem of replacing energy sources.
There are critics out there because they think everything has to generate 5000 Watts to be a substantial consideration. Everything has a cost when it comes to energy production. But doing nothing will cost the most.