Natcore Technology, Inc. using simple liquid bath processes, have created a black surface on a silicon wafer with an average reflectance in the visible and near-infrared region of the solar spectrum of 0.3%, making it the "blackest" silicon solar cell surface ever recorded. Compared with standard production cells now available, this represents a tenfold reduction in reflectance over that portion of the spectrum, which is the source of about 80% of the usable power that can be drawn from sunlight. The black color of black silicon results from the near-total absence of reflected light from the porous wafer surface. Quantitatively, reflectance is the proportion of light striking a surface that is reflected from it. Thus a reflectance of 0.3% means that only 0.3% of incident light is reflected from the solar cell's surface, while 99.7% of incident light is absorbed by the cell and is available for conversion into electrical energy. But there are additional benefits to be derived from black silicon. A panel made from black silicon solar cells will produce significantly more energy on a daily basis than will a panel made from cells using the industry standard antireflective coating.