re: Update on flexible solar cells
Big market for something like this would be small neighborhood power plants and roof cells.
The secret is not to try and do everything with the solar panels, but use them as supplements to grid power. This was the key breakthrough in the idea of hybrid cars.
Large inverters, like the auxiliary power supplies for computers, will get cheaper and more reliable as the market improves.
BTW, there actually is a small gadget you can roll up into your car window that has solar panels and a small fan to move air in a parked car.