Solar panels are pretty common and you find them on houses on top of building all trying to capture a bit of sunshine and make some electricity.  Now some research is suggesting that you can make paint that is able to do the same thing as solar panels—generate electricity.  The work from University of Notre Dame is just beginning and the paint is about 10 times less efficient than solar panels but it is a start. They used tiny particles of titanium dioxide (the same stuff as in most white paint) and coated them with cadmium salts that help convert the sunlight into electricity.

See more at http://tinyurl.com/82yk95b