According to a study published in Applied Physics Letters, and cited by NPR, while traditional solar panels can produce electricity during the day, the device developed by the engineers at Stanford has the ability to serve as a "continuous renewable power source for both day- and nighttime".

In order to create energy at night, the device incorporates a thermoelectric generator, which can pull electricity from the small difference in temperature between the ambient air and the solar cell itself.

In an intervention for CNBC, Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of Solar Energy Industries Association, the national trade association for the solar industry, stated the importance of investing in energy alternatives, taking into account also the war that continues in Ukraine.

"In the face of global supply uncertainty, we must ramp up clean energy production and eliminate our reliance on hostile nations for our energy needs," the CEO said.