strredwolf writes “Caltech has released a flexible solar array that
[0]converts 95% of single-wavelength incandescent light and 86% of all
sunlight into electricity. Instead of being flat-panel, they stand thin
silicon wires in a plastic substrate that scatters the light onto them.
The total composition is 98% plastic, 2% wire — the amount of silicon
used is 1/50th that of ordinary panels. So as soon as they can get these
to market, solar could be very viable and cheap to produce.” Update:
03/01 21:02 GMT by [1]KD : Reader axelrosen points out evidence that the
80%+ efficiency figure is wrong. MIT’s Tech Review, in covering the
Caltech announcement, says that the new panel’s efficiency is [2]in the
15%-20% range — which is competitive with the current state of the art.
And the Caltech panel should be far cheaper to manufacture.

Discuss this story at:
http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10/03/01/0059211

Links:
0. http://media.caltech.edu/press_releases/13325
1. http://slashdot.org/~kdawson/
2. http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/24665/?a=f