A group of local scientists has reportedly developed a process that significantly boosts the efficiency of thin-film panchromatic solar cells.

Professor Park Nam-gyu’s team at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology announced Monday that it successfully positioned three different color layers on a nanogranular titanium dioxide (TiO2) film. In the past, scientists were only able to position a single color.

Using the newly developed, dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) panchromatic film, all visible rays can be absorbed and converted into power.

Transparent, thin film solar cells are considered a major next generation power source.

The study was released Monday on the online edition of the British science journal, “Nature Materials.”