Cheaper Solar Cells from New Zealand

According to a story at Nanowerk, researchers from the Nanomaterials Research Center at Massey University in New Zealand have made a solar breakthrough. They've created colored organic dyes that can be used in photovoltaic cells. These dye-sensitized solar cells can generate electricity at 10 percent of the cost of existing silicon solar cell designs, and operate in diffuse, low light. Possible application: The dyes can tint windows to capture solar power and generate electricity. Titanium dioxide is the new ingredient in these cells. Nanowerk describes this material as "a plentiful, renewable and non-toxic white mineral obtained from New Zealand's black sand."