The Army is testing flexible solar panels that can be layered on top of a tent, or rolled up into a backpack to provide a portable power source. Tents using solar panels made from amorphous silicon thin film on plastic can provide up to 1 kilowatt of energy, which is sufficient to power fans, lights, radios or laptops. This would also make soldiers harder to find by an enemy since it would reduce the "thermal signature" that enemy sensors use to track troop locations (no diesel powered generators would be needed, for example). This requires two years of additional testing, but looks very promising. One more cool point: The Army’s long-term vision is to have solar panels that can be camouflaged into tents or even uniforms. Some are working to develop nanotechnology-based solar panels that can be woven directly into fabric. The new technology replaces silicon with dye polymer plastics that transform any kind of light into electrical energy. Like I said, very cool. Pretty soon, you’ll be able to take your TV to the beach in order to have uninterrupted access to the liberal TV networks.