Solar Power converts photons to electrons. For as long as solar power has existed, I've considered this to be a one to one relationship. A photon hits some sort of electrically unstable substance, and an electron jumps across some sort of barrier creating a current. I've never questioned that this is as good as we can do. One photon...one electron, that's just the way it is.

Well not anymore it's not. Apparently some exotic (and expensive and toxic) substances can produce multiple electrons per photon. But that has never been achieved with non-toxic, inexpensive materials, like silicon. Until now. Scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (a place where many many more tax dollars should be going) have proven that certain silicon nano-cyrstals can produce two to three electrons per photon of high energy sunlight....