Can organic solar cells stand the test of time?

Thin, transparent and flexible, organic solar cells look perfect for harnessing the sun’s energy from pretty much any surface, including windows, vehicles and smartphones. But they’ve been dogged by the perception that they’re not stable enough to survive in the real world. Now researchers in the US have demonstrated it’s possible to create organic solar cells that reliably work for 27,000 years outdoors, quashing the idea that long-lived devices are impossible.