[ExI] solar cell innovation

[spike]

The MIT guys are announcing solar cells that will deliver a buck a watt
power, which would make it competitive with coal power:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/03/1366-technologies-solar-power-energy
-panels.php

In the next few decades, our gradual transition away from oil for
transportation will include a hundred different solutions where currently
there is really only one.  I can envision single seat ape haulers that are
radically down-sized and down-speed from our current absurdly over-capable
inefficient units, for instance.  They might be only a meter wide, a meter
high and two meters long, weigh a modest 200 kg, range of 100 km (burning
about two liters of octane in that distance), top speed of about 50 km/hr,
plug-in hybrid, etc.

I will miss my V8 guzzlebuggy, but I will get over it.  

Freight hauling can also be made much more energy efficient, if we accept
top speeds of about 50 km/hr and true series hybrid drive train (very slow
to accelerate, but saves a lot of weight and is very efficient).  A good
bicyclist could keep up with traffic on the freeway, no need to ride on the
side of the road.

Speaking of roads, we could make them glassy smooth, so as to obviate
inefficient rugged duty vehicles for most applications.  This enables
vehicles that are much lighter, with light duty suspension.  It isn't that
hard to maintain roads to glassy smoothness.  

spike