Researchers in Japan have set a new record for the efficiency of mass-produced solar panels, meaning even more of the Sun's energy can now be converted into electricity.

The efficiency record for solar panels now stands at 26.6 percent - breaking the previous record established in 2015.  

"Improving the photoconversion efficiency of silicon solar cells is crucial to further the deployment of renewable electricity," the team from Japan's Kaneko company explains. "This result confirms the strong potential of silicon photovoltaics."

To reach their record-breaking efficiency level, the team layered silicon inside individual cells to minimise band gaps where electrons can't exist and sunlight is wasted.

This approach is called thin-film heterojunction (HJ) optimisation, and while other scientists have attempted the procedure before, the Kaneko researchers improved the technique and were able to achieve that 26.6 percent milestone.