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The vast majority of commercial solar panels in use today rely on single-junction solar cells to absorb and convert sunlight into energy we can use to power our homes, cars, giant holiday decorations , and other gadgets. However, a physics theory known as the Shockley-Queisser limit states that a single-junction solar cell can only convert a maximum of 33.7% of incoming sunlight into energy. This theory has been broadly accepted as fact ever since it was first defined back in 1961. But now, scientists at the Institut de Ciències Fotòniques (ICFO) in Barcelona, Spain may have finally broken the efficiency ceiling.

A research team led by ICFO Professor Jordi Martorell discovered a way to make solar panel cells more efficient by limiting their photon emissions. Here's why it works: After a cell absorbs sunlight, it then emits light back out in all directions. That process means it's losing potential energy.…