Not long ago, my wife, PJ, and I tried a new diet—not to lose a little weight but to answer a nagging question about climate change. Scientists have reported recently that the world is heating up even faster than predicted only a few years ago, and that the consequences could be severe if we don’t keep reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that are trapping heat in our atmosphere. But what can we do about it as individuals? And as emissions from China, India, and other developing nations skyrocket, will our efforts really make any difference?

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, reported November 3 that they have created a “near perfect” solar panel. The solar panel has a special coating that captures 96.7 percent of the light incident upon it, compared to 67.4 percent for the untreated silicon panels commonly in use today.

The problem of absorption is one of the issues that keeps the electricity output of solar panels low and the cost of solar power high. Solar panels are designed to absorb sunlight at a single angle. This means that either the efficiency of a panel changes over time (as the Sun moves across the sky), or a mechanism has to be installed to make sure the panels are always pointed at the sun. The new coating made of nanorods allows the solar panel to absorb light from any angle.