Flexible solar

World Changing has this great post about plastic solar cells: Although the pale in comparison of efficiency of silicon panels (5%max compared to 15-20% for silicon) There price, $15/m2 (compared to $800/m2 for silicon) makes this seem like a somewhat viable alternative to an alternative.

The ideas for implementation the world changing folks suggest, though, don't really seem to be in line with what this techonology is capable of. Sure you could put them on a south facing wall, etc, but the fact that these cells are flexible, makes them exciting. They could be knit into fabrics and textiles, wrapped around curved surfaces. I like the suggestion of an umbrella on the patio or at a beach. you could plug in your laptop or make a LAN somehow so you can use the internet. all kinds of cool stuff.