The efficiency of most solar panels averages between 10 and 15 percent with conversion records hitting around 35 percent. So it’s big news when a team of Australian scientists reports a 40.4 percent conversion efficiency by using commercially available solar cells combined with a mirror and filters that reduce wasted energy. “It’s horse and buggy days as far as solar is concerned at the moment”, says the leader of the Australian team. That means that the room for improvement is enormous.