Talk about a renewable energy source

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have created miniscule solar cells that have the ability to repair themselves. These cells are just billionths of a meter across but could be able to extend their own lifetime.

This breakthrough is key because sunlight is the most abundant renewable energy source on the planet, but also one of the most damaging. When sunlight hits oxygen, it’s incredibly destructive, hence the reason why we age when we spend too much time in the sun or color fade when exposed to too much sunlight. Many man-made materials or systems meant to use solar energy don’t last very long.

But these cells are able to repair themselves by utilizing many of the processes and chemicals found in plants. Plants aren’t damaged by constant sunlight because they constantly break down their light-capturing molecules and reassemble them from scratch, so the basic structures that capture the sun’s energy are always brand new. No time for them to be destructed by the sunlight. These cells essentially do this with the simple addition of lipids and a surfactant, a liquid like grease or soap that splits molecules apart and keeps them apart. This addition splits the proteins that turn the sunlight into electricity, and once the lipids and surfactant are gone, the proteins come back together, much like what happens in a plant.

Over time, this process does not decrease the efficiency of the cells. This alone allows these tiny cells to produce energy much more efficiently than some of the best solar cells out there today.