Self-cooling solar cells could lead to more efficient solar power

Solar power cells need to stay relatively cool for the sake of both efficiency and longevity, but active cooling isn’t practical; it’s expensive, and may block the very rays the cells are supposed to collect. To tackle this problem, Stanford University researchers have created a new form of solar cell that cools itself. The technique embeds a pattern of very small cone and pyramid shapes into the collector’s silica surface, bouncing hot infrared wavelengths away while letting in the visible light that generates the most energy.