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Solar cells tap energy from sun, but what if these solar cells themselves can be produced from sunlight?In a recent advance in solar energy, researchers have discovered a way to tap the sun to directly produce solar energy materials. Cheaper and slimmer than conventional silicon cells, these could soon be used as coatings in buildings to produce energy. This breakthrough by chemical engineers at Oregon State University could soon reduce the cost of solar energy, expedite production processes and make the sun almost a "one-stop shop" that produces both the materials for solar devices and the eternal energy to power them.