EVERY HOME A GRID:

The concept, which is being designed by University of Maryland researcher Lahari Saha, adapts plants' energy making abilities to electricity and then uses their fluorescence, or light giving properties, to transfer that power to a storage system.

"Any sort of molecule that fluoresces, gives off light. If we excite the fluorophore, it can transfer its energy to metal nanoparticles, and if the particles are close enough to each other, they will knock off electrons and generate current," Saha said in a statement.

Solar photovoltaic panels made of silicon can only convert about 20 per cent of the sun's energy to electricity. It means vastly more, and larger, panels are needed to transition the world's power from fossil fuels to renewable energy -- many of which are controversially co-located on or in productive farmland.

If Saha's research works, it could shrink panels while retaining, or even improving efficiency, and reduce the land required for solar farms.

It could also be another revolution for rooftop solar panels. While Australians have adopted rooftop solar with enthusiasm unmatched around the world, houses with roofs that face the wrong direction or are in locations without much direct sunlight miss out on the benefits. Small, more powerful panels could turn every house in the country into a power plant.

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