look up Solyndra...they were a spanish company recently bankrupted that provided the read deal flexible solar panels, one example is solar roofing...much "higher" efficiency....there was a recently closed plant here in the 503, that was initially propped up by Millions from the local government before it went kaput earlier this year....that shit is real deal though.
It's good stuff, yes. Solar kicks ass all day long, primetime in the sunshine! The problem is what happens after dark. This is why I believe that solar is a very important component of an energy generation scheme- but it will never be the whole answer.
Fuel cells on the other hand can provide power anytime, independent of weather conditions. I think a mix of these plus wind power to taste can easily be the foundation of a new energy economy that isn't fossil fuel dependent. Yes, I know natural gas is fracked- but it's called natural gas for a reason. It's methane, same gas that comes from composting and decomposition.
I just learned from NPR.org this morning that Weld County, Colorado is the home of America's largest new methane biodigester facility. They'll be using manure from a local dairy farm (Noosa?! They're local!) and mixing it with yard clippings and other compostable materials to achieve the best mix. The leftovers are high grade fully composted bio material for organically fertilizing fields, and thus no longer a hazard to the environment.
Grand Junction, Colorado has been using methane from its own waste water treatment facility to power most of the city's fleet of otherwise diesel powered city vehicles like snowplows, buses and trash trucks. Yes, that's right, people poop power is saving the city hundreds of thousands a year in fuel savings alone!
Chemically speaking, methane = biogas = natural gas = a clean energy future. It's a powerful argument.
This argument becomes a slam dunk when one learns that methane is one of a relatively few hydrocarbons that's ready for fuel cell use unaltered. Fuel cells convert the energy of hydrocarbons into electricity at up to 65% efficiency, or TWICE that of power plants burning other fossil fuels! What else comes out of a running fuel cell besides electricity, you ask? Heat, water vapor... and carbon dioxide. Ohhhh yeah.
