Solar panels must face the sun to function. Yet, ironically, they lose efficiency as they heat up. That’s why researchers from Stanford University have developed a translucent overlay made of patterned silica that “cools” incoming light for solar panels, effectively dropping the temperature on the panel’s surface. The thermal overlay allows sunlight to pass through and radiates the heat away from the panel allowing more photons to be converted into energy. According to the researchers, the overlay boosts energy production by 1 percent, which is a big jump in the solar energy world where efficiency is everything.