:00:32. > :00:33.It's a huge ball of energy just waiting to be tapped.
:00:34. > :00:36.Banks of solar cells are springing up all over the place,
:00:37. > :00:40.absorbing the sunlight and turning it into electricity.
:00:41. > :00:42.I've come to Oxford University to meet Professor Henry Snaith,
:00:43. > :00:47.who's trying to squeeze more and more energy out of the sun.
:00:48. > :00:51.Current technology based on silicon is fundamentally limited in terms
:00:52. > :00:57.Silicon can only absorb a fixed band of light,
:00:58. > :01:00.a fixed spectrum of light - it absorbs all the visible
:01:01. > :01:03.and the infrared light and then converts that into electricity.
:01:04. > :01:06.They've been developed for about the last 60 years,
:01:07. > :01:09.and the maximum efficiency is about 25%.
:01:10. > :01:12.The trick is to use different materials, alongside silicon,
:01:13. > :01:18.Henry's team are investing ways of coating the silicon cells
:01:19. > :01:21.with a crystalline structure called perovskite, which can convert more
:01:22. > :01:25.energy from different wavelengths of light and can generate
:01:26. > :01:29.electricity at a surprisingly high voltage.
:01:30. > :01:32.At the moment, we're right on the cusp in most places,
:01:33. > :01:35.or lots of places in the world, where we can produce electricity
:01:36. > :01:38.from solar cells as cheaply as we can from coal.
:01:39. > :01:40.So if we now increase the efficiency, it will become
:01:41. > :01:43.cheaper and cheaper and cheaper to produce electricity
:01:44. > :01:47.Solar energy could deliver the sort of transformative change in society
:01:48. > :01:50.as we saw at the turn of the 20th century with the discovery
:01:51. > :01:58.Henry and his team are still near the beginning of that journey.
:01:59. > :02:00.His perovskite-coated solar cells are still climbing
:02:01. > :02:02.towards an efficiency of 25%, which will match the current
:02:03. > :02:11.It doesn't sound like much, but efficiency in the high 20%s is
:02:12. > :02:20.There is a group of young researchers in Switzerland
:02:21. > :02:22.who are pushing solar technology even further.
:02:23. > :02:25.And Dan Simmons has been to meet them.
:02:26. > :02:35.These guys want to change the world by shaping light.
:02:36. > :02:39.You see, their plan is to make a solar panel that doesn't just
:02:40. > :02:43.offer a tiny bit more energy than the last one -
:02:44. > :02:46.that's been happening for decades - but one that can deliver a seismic
:02:47. > :02:49.leap and push out almost twice the energy of
:02:50. > :02:55.The trick is not about coming up with better photovoltaic materials -
:02:56. > :03:00.They're focusing on the light itself.
:03:01. > :03:03.So we are using a lens which is basically a magnifying
:03:04. > :03:07.glass, but with a very particular shape, so that we can track the sun
:03:08. > :03:15.throughout the day with minuscule displacements, so the stroke of it.
:03:16. > :03:19.We are just moving laterally by a couple of millimetres per day,
:03:20. > :03:22.so it's a very slow movement, and it doesn't consume any energy,
:03:23. > :03:28.Now, the guys have set this up moving a little bit quicker
:03:29. > :03:33.In fact, the whole panel would move about one centimetre in a day,
:03:34. > :03:38.And to do that, it would use less than 1% of the actual
:03:39. > :03:41.The other advantage of this system is, because the movement
:03:42. > :03:44.is so small, it can be housed in a normal solar-panel frame,
:03:45. > :03:52.so you can put it up on rooftops with minimal maintenance.
:03:53. > :03:56.Which is kind of unusual for a tracking solar-panel system.
:03:57. > :03:59.The first independent lab test earlier this month measured
:04:00. > :04:02.an efficiency rating that would be off the charts for residential solar
:04:03. > :04:12.We realised that this might be the most efficient flat panel
:04:13. > :04:18.in the world, and we realised the importance of keeping...
:04:19. > :04:21.As well as the optics, the other trick these guys
:04:22. > :04:24.are using is to make use of the most expensive and efficient
:04:25. > :04:29.Satellites get their power from the sun, and these panels cost
:04:30. > :04:34.That is far too expensive to use down here.
:04:35. > :04:36.It would take decades to get your money back.
:04:37. > :04:38.But because the system concentrates the incoming light,
:04:39. > :04:42.just look at how big an area now needs to be covered.
:04:43. > :04:44.It's just those seven tiny black dots on this panel.
:04:45. > :04:46.With world-class materials and low-cost maintenance,
:04:47. > :04:49.the guys are aiming for the system to pay for itself
:04:50. > :04:55.I asked a solar expert who's been in the industry for over 20 years.
:04:56. > :04:59.Many pundits are saying that even with the kind of incremental
:05:00. > :05:05.increases in efficiency that we've in recent years, solar
:05:06. > :05:08.is heading for a place in the mainstream of global energy,
:05:09. > :05:12.even as a backbone of global energy, possibly, you know, in as short
:05:13. > :05:14.a period as a couple of decades from now.
:05:15. > :05:18.When you have moving parts, you have a large number of other
:05:19. > :05:24.I very much hope that they solve it and come up with the first
:05:25. > :05:26.concentrator, moving concentrator, and do deliver this step function,
:05:27. > :05:33.because that would be very much the icing on the cake.
:05:34. > :05:36.It seems the solar revolution is coming.
:05:37. > :05:38.Battery and panel prices have been tumbling, while consumers
:05:39. > :05:41.are warming to electric vehicles that could be used
:05:42. > :05:51.Fossil fuels could finally be facing extinction, and this focus -
:05:52. > :05:58.from the Magnificent Seven - could serve to speed that up.
:05:59. > :06:01.Hello and welcome to the week in tech.
:06:02. > :06:04.It was the week that BlackBerry announced they would no longer
:06:05. > :06:10.The one-time market leader has struggled to keep pace
:06:11. > :06:13.with the serious sales of Apple and Samsung handsets.
:06:14. > :06:16.A spoof video got people doing something seriously daft.
:06:17. > :06:20.Drilling into your iPhone 7 will not bring back the old headphones jack.
:06:21. > :06:25.And Amazon, Google, Facebook, IBM and Microsoft announced
:06:26. > :06:29.they will collaborate to create some serious artificial intelligence.
:06:30. > :06:32.The Partnership on AI hopes to create the best ways of dealing
:06:33. > :06:35.with issues like privacy, transparency, and how man
:06:36. > :06:41.In other news, US Girl Scouts can earn a new badge
:06:42. > :06:50.Women in Games International have teamed up with the Girl Scouts
:06:51. > :06:52.of Los Angeles to hold sessions at PlayStation's
:06:53. > :07:01.It'll teach them how to develop their video-gaming
:07:02. > :07:08.talents in the hope more girls will seek opportunities
:07:09. > :07:11.And, finally, you can't teach an old robot new tricks.
:07:12. > :07:16.Pepper the robot has been learning to catch a ball in a cup.
:07:17. > :07:20.It may have taken a while, but after 100 tries it achieved
:07:21. > :07:24.It's hoped that the principles applied here could be
:07:25. > :07:27.used to teach other agility-type motions.
:07:28. > :07:42.Cocktail waiters and netball players beware!
:07:43. > :07:45.Smart clothes and accessories are coming in from the cold,
:07:46. > :07:47.moving from geeky to good-looking, so I've been testing
:07:48. > :07:51.a few of the latest to check it's not just style over substance.
:07:52. > :07:54.It's getting a bit chilly, so I was quite pleased to receive
:07:55. > :08:13.this prototype, and it's quite smart.
:08:14. > :08:16.Smart clothes and accessories are coming in from the cold,
:08:17. > :08:18.moving from geeky to good-looking, so I've been testing
:08:19. > :08:22.a few of the latest to check it's not just style over substance.
:08:23. > :08:25.It's getting a bit chilly, so I was quite pleased to receive
:08:26. > :08:27.this prototype, and it's quite smart.
:08:28. > :08:30.In fact, its makers call it a smart coat, which could be
:08:31. > :08:32.slightly over-egging it, but it does warm up,
:08:33. > :08:35.and the finished product will also be able to charge your mobile phone.
:08:36. > :08:39.Coats that heat up are far from new, but this brings them
:08:40. > :08:43.It uses a type of infrared that claims, instead of simply heating
:08:44. > :08:47.the skin, to be absorbed by the body to help relax muscles and increase
:08:48. > :08:49.blood flow, as well as keep you snug.
:08:50. > :08:53.So am I walking around in more than just a luxury electric blanket?
:08:54. > :08:56.The biggest concentration of the polymer is on the kidneys,
:08:57. > :08:58.because that's where all your circulation runs through,
:08:59. > :09:01.and once your kidneys are warmed up, all your blood warms up,
:09:02. > :09:04.your circulation warms up, and it makes you feel warm all over.
:09:05. > :09:07.But then we have two other parts at the front, smaller parts,
:09:08. > :09:11.which give you the feeling of, you know, getting this warm hug
:09:12. > :09:15.This technology wasn't created to make you feel,
:09:16. > :09:19.With this, the idea is that you can regulate it depending
:09:20. > :09:22.what the weather is, so if you are in the Tube and it
:09:23. > :09:24.gets warm, you can just switch it off.
:09:25. > :09:28.Whilst it felt luxurious and cosy to wear, seeing as I wasn't
:09:29. > :09:30.overheating with it on full on a mild September day,
:09:31. > :09:34.I'm just not convinced the actual coat is as thick as I
:09:35. > :09:41.This smart ring is part of a range of jewellery offering
:09:42. > :09:46.You select what alerts you would like by going into
:09:47. > :09:49.the app, choosing notifications, and then selecting the categories
:09:50. > :09:53.So it could be to tell you that your taxi's arrived,
:09:54. > :09:56.get a phone call, a calendar alert, and then once you've chosen,
:09:57. > :10:00.you select the number of buzzes that represent each thing.
:10:01. > :10:04.This colour may not have been to my taste, but there are others.
:10:05. > :10:06.The bracelets track activity too, and I actually rather
:10:07. > :10:08.enjoyed its functionality, particularly as you could subtly
:10:09. > :10:18.And if you'd like to be subtly smart, then here is the latest way
:10:19. > :10:25.of turning a regular watch into a smartwatch.
:10:26. > :10:27.And after Apple scrapped the standard headphone socket
:10:28. > :10:30.on its iPhone, Bluetooth headphones may be the future.
:10:31. > :10:33.If you've decided that's so, then you won't want them
:10:34. > :10:37.There's more to this rather chunky bracelet than meets the eye.
:10:38. > :10:39.Inside are a pair of Bluetooth earbuds.
:10:40. > :10:42.Taking them in and out of the bracelet was pretty slick,
:10:43. > :10:45.and the sound quality was good, but they didn't stay in my ears
:10:46. > :10:47.as easily as the sportier buds I usually wear.
:10:48. > :10:51.And when it comes to style, well, when you're wearing them,
:10:52. > :10:56.the bracelet is left with a bit of a funny gap.
:10:57. > :10:58.So, while some of the prototypes may still need perfecting,
:10:59. > :11:01.the appetite for functional fashion is growing, so the stakes -
:11:02. > :11:12.and not just the price tags - may be high.
:11:13. > :11:18.That's it for the shortcut of Click this week, the full-length version
:11:19. > :11:24.is up one iPlayer right now. Next week we have something very special
:11:25. > :11:27.for you, we are off to Japan and you can probably watch our exploits
:11:28. > :11:29.right now on Twitter and BBC click. Thanks for watching. We will see you
:11:30. > :11:32.there.