Note: Researchers from the University of Twente 's MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology have improved solar fuel technology by developing the most efficient process to date for splitting sunlight into hydrogen and CO2 using silicon . The researchers accomplished a maximum efficiency of 10.8 % by decoupling the site where the hydrogen are collected from the site where the splitting takes place . Professor Jurriaan Huskens said the figure was the highest - ever efficiency for a silicon - based technology , but that 10 % efficiency is needed for the technology to be economically viable .
Researchers from the University of Twente 's MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology have improved solar fuel technology by developing the most efficient process to date for splitting sunlight into hydrogen and CO2 using silicon . The researchers accomplished a maximum efficiency of 10.8 % by decoupling the site where the hydrogen are collected from the site where the splitting takes place . Professor Jurriaan Huskens said the figure was the highest - ever efficiency for a silicon - based technology , but that 10 % efficiency is needed for the technology to be economically viable .