Wayne Campbell and Ashton Partridge of Massey University in New Zealand have made efficient solar cells made from organic dyes. The dyes used in the solar cells are efficient, made at low cost, and can even generate electricity on a cloudy day. What is more exciting is that the dye Cambell and Partridge developed ( made from a biological pigment called porphyrin, a component of chlorophyll) makes a dye-sensitized solar cells far more practical to produce. There has been a lot of research in this area since the early 90s when Micheal Graetzel at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology first created such a device using dyes that contained the metal ruthenium. The issue with Graetzel's device is that ruthenium is not plentiful enough to practically mass product.

So what is the catch?

Solar cells based on dyes have an issue with stability: they tend to break down quickly. This is an area of major research right now, and, if this issue can be overcome, we may see this new technology on the market as early as a year from now.

This type of solar cell can be incorporated into windows, walls, and even clothing.