solar sail cloth

Don, not sure about Saskatchewan prairies but in Mexican Baja I can't even use my awning. If I do - on some calm day, there is 50% chance that I'll wake up in the night with awning all rattling, shaking and trying to lift off, and will have to fumble in the dark with this badly engineered thing.

I would imagine solar sail on a spacecraft but wouldn't want to have it on my little sail on the water. Most common sail material - Dacron - stretches. Not much, but still does. Now add the layer of solar microfilm on it and try sailing, hoisting/lowering, furling/unfurling, subjecting it to abrasion while on the passage and while taking it off and stowing.

The most relevant info for you is contained in the last paragraph of the article where they are talking about the prototype that "could be" used for furling sail systems and awnings.

Hi dewey02,

Thanks for that link.

I recall that a few years ago, a European company came out with solar panels embedded in a roll-up RV canopy. I've googled for it now, but can't find it, so perhaps they are out of business.

Also, there is Power Film solar, which puts solar film on tarps and tents, etc.
Link here

GordonThree wrote:
Our power needs will soon be solved as MIT had invented perpetual motion, in the form of time crystals.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space-time_crystal

Unfortunately, these time crystals still obey or operate with a few rules---"A time crystal is a driven (i.e. open) quantum system that is in perpetual motion, it does not violate the laws of thermodynamics:[45]

A time crystal does not produce work as it rotates in its ground state; energy is conserved so that the first law of thermodynamics is not violated. (Otherwise such a device would be a perpetuum mobile of the first kind.)
A time crystal does not spontaneously convert thermal energy into mechanical work so that the second law of thermodynamics is not violated. (Otherwise such a device would be a perpetuum mobile of the second kind.)
A time crystal cannot serve as a perpetual store of work, so that the third law of thermodynamics is not violated (Otherwise the device would be a perpetuum mobile of the third kind.)
A time crystal has been said to be a perpetuum mobile of the fourth kind: it does not produce work and it cannot serve as a perpetual energy storage. But it rotates perpetually.[46]"

Pianotuna's photovoltaic sail cloth has a better outlook than the time crystals for energy production, lol. :B

Our power needs will soon be solved as MIT had invented perpetual motion, in the form of time crystals.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space-time_crystal

Or you could just call NASA and buy a used satellite panel. Couldn't cost more than $4-5mil..