I don't know if the science behind this is sound, so assuming that it is: According to the article the panels are expected to be manufactured for 1/4 the cost o

I don't know if the science behind this is sound, so assuming that it is: According to the article the panels are expected to be manufactured for 1/4 the cost of current panels of similar wattage. But it also says the hair "...lasts a few months", which means that they are much higher maintenance than silicon based panels which last at least 5 years with current designs. So TCO may be higher for the hair panels, especially if longer strands of hair are needed. As far as the validity of this goes, I need more hard facts before I can make a decision. Those hair strands aren't packed in there very tightly, so getting 9v/18W out of that panel is fairly unbelievable.