Comment Re:Why Efficiency? (Score 1) 65
Also this way there is a globally-accessible and searchable database of all the materials and their various properties - so for your exotic project with a weird requirement, you can find the materials most appropriate to your situation.
This is useful for more than coming up with a single solar cell, it helps pave the groundwork for hundreds of varieties - each the best-fit for a different situation.
Example: Organic compounds may make sense if you can 'grow' the system for a self-repairing/expanding system, say in a biodome on Mars; or on a floating station in the Arctic; both of which you won't have an easy opportunity for a 'service call'. Identifying which one(s) work best in those environments will shave years off development time, allowing a focus on other design issues.