Energy efficient: Pentagon pursuing more advanced solar cells.

• Author: Williams, Robert H.
• Position: TECH TALK

The Defense Department is seeking to develop a considerably higher efficiency solar cell at no more than $1,000 per square meter--the current cost for commercially available power sources. To achieve that end, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is working with a team of engineers from the Dupont-University of Delaware's "very high efficiency solar consortium."

The improved solar cell "uses a novel lateral optical concentrating system that splits solar light into three...