A Boeing subsidiary has accomplished a new power efficiency record through its work to convert solar energy into electricity.

Spectrolab converted 38.8 percent of solar energy into power by using a solar cell that was built using Boeing’s semiconductor bonding technology, Boeing said Monday.

Troy Dawson, Spectrolab president, said the company intends to continue developing new methods in order to achieve higher records.

The Energy Department’s Golden, Colo.-based National Renewable Energy Laboratory validated the result, which is 1 percent higher than the previous record.

The solar cell holds the potential to power spacecraft and unmanned aerial vehicles, Boeing says.