Researchers have uncovered a promising new direction for solar panel development. By using inorganic hole transport layers, the study’s authors hope to provide a path to developing new, more efficient thin-film solar panels.

The American Solar Energy Society describes thin film as “the future of the solar industry” because it costs less to produce, requires less material, and is easy to manufacture. As the name suggests, thin-film solar panels are about 350 times thinner than mono or polycrystalline panels. They’re not as efficient or long-lasting as their thicker cousins, but that could soon change.

Experiments on different materials have yielded promising results. Yet, as one of the study authors noted, writing in Tech Xplore, some of the existing version of thin-film materials’ rarity and toxicity hold them back, while the alternative compounds offering promise do not have those drawbacks. Yet they also do not yet show sufficient efficiency to compete with conventional solar panels.