Solar power on track to be world's largest electricity source by 2050

MIT is not alone in developing new, more efficient photovoltaic materials.

Ohio State University announced what it's referring to as the world's first solar battery.

The research, published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications, combines a battery and a solar cell.

The device works by using a solar panel created with a mesh material that allows electrons to pass on to a battery electrode. The light from the solar panel and oxygen play a part in a chemical reaction that charges the battery, according to Ohio State.

Yiying Wu, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Ohio State, said the photovoltaic/battery combination would reduce the cost of solar power systems by as much as 25% over time.