US Army getting solar sheeting from Konarka
By Donald Melanson 
posted May 5th 2005 10:03AM
posted May 5th 2005 10:03AM
The US Army recently signed a $1.6 million contract with Konarka Technologies to put the company's "power plastic" sheeting into action. The light-activated plastic sheeting can be incorporated into portable chargers for batteries used for various portable electronics or even fashioned into large, power-generating tents, reducing the need to lug around heavy generators. The company is also working on weaving the plastic into camouflage-patterned materials, so as not to stick out like, well, a giant solar panel in the desert.
This is what I need for the boats. Thank you Uncle Sam. Cost effective? Maybe in 20 years.
This would make a great sunshade for Prius owners.
It would be cool if you could weave this into the housing of batteries.
Your batteries need more power ? Leave'm in the sun...just like mayonaise...
Are they getting PowerBooks as well? Ya know, the power of Unix to crush the insurgency...
"This would make a great sunshade for Prius owners."
haha, very creative idea!
"no predictions on when the product will reach the market" - I'm guessing the $1.6 million contract is for research, or maybe first dibs when Konarka can make actual field-usable modules with their technology.