From: dietz@dls.net   
      
   Henry Spencer wrote:   
      
   > The tradeoffs are complex, particularly if you are thinking about using   
   > extraterrestrial materials (in which case you can forget about the exotic   
   > advanced cell materials -- you're pretty much restricted to silicon, which   
   > is not very heat-tolerant).   
      
   That's not entirely clear.  Advanced materials can also be direct bandgap   
   semiconductors,   
   which absorb light over a much shorter distance than does crystalline silicon.   
   So, you don't need much actual semiconductor.  What you do need is mundane   
   stuff   
   like something on which to deposit that material, perhaps a protective glass   
   cover, wires, heat sinks, and so on.  You could make all that from ET materials   
   and just ship up the unobtainium from Earth.   
      
   	Paul   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)