[Steely Tom]

First Solar Inc. says it's facing challenging market conditions and needs to retool operations to begin making a more efficient solar panel.

I wouldn't hold my breath on that one.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

I liked solar for the cabin, we ran a couple of battery operated lights and a IPod. We could run a small fan if needed.

The pump ran during the day to fill the tank and then was gravity fed during the night hours.

It was a choice between limited and no power. So limited worked.

People that have a non-government incentive to do so will make improvement in both solar panels and battery storage.

In time it will become practical for houses out in the country who are willing to deal with some restrictions.

It will probably never become practical for cities, big businesses, hospitals or anything that MUST have access to a large, steady amount of energy.

[Fhios]

Efficient? I think they need a breakthrough in physics to do that.