Solar power derives its energy from the sun, and its output is helped by an unexpected source: sound. Not just any type of sound, according to new research by the Imperial College London, but a specific, high pitch tone not all that different from pop and rock music, HNGN reported.

Classical music didn't cut it, the study showed.

Researchers showed the use of high pitch sounds increases the output of solar cells by as much as 40 percent, according to the press release. The discovery could make solar-powered energy a much more viable industry.

Rather than a complicated sound device or the latest "Now That's What I Call Music..." on loop, developers can use environmental noise to help fuel solar cells. It only takes sound levels of 75 decibels (the equivalent of a car passing by or a printer) to generate significant results, according to the release.

Potential inventions include solar-powered laptops and air conditions. The additional power source could also factor in electronic components on buses, trains and other vehicles.

Building off the piezoelectric effect, in which pressure or strain creates a voltage, researchers used a piezoletric substance and measured its reactions following the introduction of sound waves, the report said.

"We thought the soundwaves, which produce random fluctuations, would cancel each other out and so didn't expect to see any significant overall effect on the power output," said James Durrant, who co-led the study.

The noises didn't cancel each other out, and high pitched sounds generated an especially strong response.

"The key for us was that not only that the random fluctuations from the sound didn't cancel each other out, but also that some frequencies of sound seemed really to amplify the solar cell output - so that the increase in power was a remarkably big effect considering how little sound energy we put in," Durrant said.

Pop music, because of its high notes, outperformed classical music.

"We tried playing music instead of dull flat sounds, as this helped us explore the effect of different pitches," Durrant said. "The biggest difference we found was when we played pop music rather than classical, which we now realize is because our acoustic solar cells respond best to the higher pitched sounds present in pop music."