To achieve the true benefits of solar energy it is important that the cost of panels be always under control. Now, researchers from MIT and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have drafted a pathway to slash costs further, this time by slimming down the thickness of silicon cells from 160 micrometers to 40 micrometers or less. That approach will not only decrease the cost of the panels but most importantly, it will also increase the manufacturing of solar panels. Researchers stressed that economic considerations are as crucial as the technological ones to make solar panels affordable for sustainable development.