SonyJapanese tech supremo has come up with a new type of solar cell that doesn’t need silicon, known as dye sensitised.

Such cells are still in their infancy at the moment, but everyone’s rather hoping they mature quickly, due to their relative cheapness to manufacture. For that matter, there’s also been a bit of a silicon shortage in recent years, so dye sensitized cells would also be handy there too by passing the need for it altogether.

Back to Sony: Trading Markets, quoting Japanese paper Nikkei, notes that the cell has been “achieving an energy conversion efficiency of 10 percent, the minimum level seen as necessary for commercial use”.

Apparently, it also uses a gel electrolyte rather than a liquid one, making the whole shebang more stable. The Nikkei reports Sony is now mulling over whether to make an entrance into the solar market.

Sony's new silicon-free dye-sensitized solar cells have a 10% energy conversion efficiency, putting them on the map for commercial use.  By using a gel electrolyte instead of liquid, less leakage should mean a more sturdy solar cell.  In addition, the elimination of silicon could make them cheaper to produce- silicon has recently been in short supply.