Another week, another jaw-dropping solar technology breakthrough. The critical point of solar technology is the amount of light that can be captured by light-absorbing material and converted into electricity (photovoltaic panels) or heat (concentrated solar power). Researchers at the University of California San Diego have developed a method of using nanoparticles to absorb and convert 90 percent of the captured energy of the sun into heat. This innovation makes concentrated solar power plants potentially much more efficient. Such panels convert the sun’s energy to heat, which is then used to drive a steam turbine and produce power.