I'm interested in the solar part as well partly because I am buying a portable backpacking unit for a trip to see how it performs so I'm learning about that stuff. The idea of a self supported cross country tour would be cool (pun, because stuff from the sun is hot) and quite interesting in areas like Arizona or Australia where you have large distances and lots of sun from a predictable direction. The panels would provide shade and energy.
I think someone just did an around the world using solar powered flight and there is a lot of experimentation in sailing/boating. I attended a boat show where they had flexible panels that could be molded to hulls and perhaps down the road a similar idea could be used for fairings. Imagine something like this made out of flexible solar panels on a trike recumbent:
http://www.lightningbikes.com/f40/
And some inspiration: