As global solar capacity increases, new materials and photovoltaic designs could deliver greater efficiency than conventional silicon cells, at a reasonable cost.MICHAEL EISENSTEIN, SCIENCE WRITERIn a time of growing concern about climate change and the high cost of humanity’s carbon footprint, there are glimmers of hope. A global boom in sustainable energy investment is underway. The Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21) reports that in 2016, nearly a fifth of the world’s energy was derived from renewable sources. Solar energy is seeing particularly rapid growth. 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