Homeowners have already been enjoying the benefits of increasingly efficient photovoltaic panels, but researchers are continuing to break new ground in their effort to make clean energy more affordable than traditional fossil fuels.

In fact, SunPower Corp. announced this week that it had produced a full-scale solar cell with a sunlight to electricity conversion efficiency of 24.2 percent. This was a world record for large area silicon wafers, with confirmation coming from the National Renewable Energy Lab.

"This new world record demonstrates SunPower's ability to extend our lead in manufacturing the world's highest efficiency solar cells," said Bill Mulligan, vice president of technology and development for SunPower. "Our patented and proprietary, high-efficiency solar cell technology drives down the cost of solar energy by increasing the energy production from each solar panel."

Mulligan went on to note that increasingly efficient solar panels will hold down the cost-per-watt of the electricity they generate, while also reducing manufacturing costs and even installation time and maintenance.

Researchers have also been making more progress in recent years on new photovoltaic materials that can be incorporated into new parts of a home, such as windows and roof panels.