Solar energy is one of the most renewable sources of electricity in the world. The sun shines almost every day, so it provides photons to power solar panels while the sun still shines. It can reduce your electricity bills to a tiny amount and is very environmentally friendly. Did you know that scientists at Germany's Fraunhofer Institute have broken the world record for the most efficient solar cell? Their design uses a new cell structure containing four solar subcells to achieve an efficiency of 44.7%. This is only 0.7% more efficient than the previous world record, but “brings the solar industry one step closer to achieving 50% efficiency” (Valentine, Katie). Solar panels are panels that generate electricity when exposed to radiation from the sun. Solar panels use silicon, which emits electric current when it comes into contact with light, to generate electricity. The radiation delivers photons, or units of electromagnetic radiation, to the silicon to generate electricity. Pure silicon is not a good conductor, so solar companies add other elements, such as phosphorus and boron, to solar panels to “strengthen, or dope, the two layers of silicon in the cell” (Chasteen, Stephanie). This is shown in Figure 1. At the top are metallic conductive strips to grab electrons to generate electricity. Solar panels also use an anti-reflection coating on a protective glass sheet to protect it and to prevent photons from reflecting off the back of the silicon onto another object. Solar panels are the perfect solution if you have high electricity bills and live in a warm, sunny climate. Once the solar panels are installed, no major maintenance will be needed for a couple of decades until the solar panels fail, but an annual check will be needed...... middle of paper ......tter below low light .Works CitedToothman, Jessika, and Scott Aldous. "How Solar Cells Work." HowStuffWorks.Discovery, 01 April 2000. Web. 15 December 2013.“Let it Snow! Solar Panels Can Do It” October 24, 2012. ScienceDaily.com. October 19, 2013 Valentine, Katie. “Researchers have just achieved a new world record in solar cell efficiency.” ThinkProgress RSS. NP, September 26, 2013. Web. December 15, 2013."How does solar energy work? | Solarflair Energy Inc." How does solar work? | SolarflairEnergy Inc. Np, nd Web. December 13, 2013. Chasteen, Stephanie, and Rima Chaddha. "How do solar panels work?" PBS. PBS, April 24, 2007. Web. December 12, 2013. Maehlum, Mathias Aarre. “Which type of solar panel is best? Mono- vs. polycrystalline vs. thin film.” Energy information. Np, 6 December 2013. Web. 15 December. 2013