TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ELECTRICAL POWER AND ENERGY - Preferred Unit: The solar cell unit further has a sealant cap (S2) hermetically sealed on the secondary end of casing. The sealant cap (S1) is hermetically sealed to inner surface or outer surface of casing. Preferred Cap: The hermetic seal is formed by a continuous strip of sealant. The continuous strip of sealant is on an inner edge of the sealant cap (S1), on an outer edge of the sealant cap, on an outer edge of the transparent nonplanar casing, or on an inner edge of the transparent nonplanar casing. The continuous strip of sealant is formed from glass frit, sol-gel, or ceramic cement. The sealant cap (S1) is in electrical contact with back-electrode and transparent conductive layer, and sealant cap serves as an electrode for back-electrode and transparent conductive layer. The sealant caps (S1,S2) are each made of an electrically conducting metal. The sealant cap (S1) is in electrical contact with a portion of back-electrode which is in electrical communication with transparent conductive layer. The sealant cap (S2) is in electrical contact with a portion of back-electrode which is electrically isolated from transparent conductive layer. The nonplanar solar cell further comprises an intrinsic layer circumferentially disposed on semiconductor junction layer and the transparent conductive layer is disposed on intrinsic layer. The solar cell unit further comprises a filler layer circumferentially disposed on transparent conductive layer. The transparent tubular casing is circumferentially disposed on filler layer to circumferentially seal solar cell. The solar cell unit further comprises a water resistant layer circumferentially disposed on transparent conductive layer. The transparent tubular casing is circumferentially disposed on water resistant layer to circumferentially seal nonplanar solar cell. The water resistant layer comprises clear silicone, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride (SiOxNy), silicon oxide (SiOx), or alumina, where x and y are integers. The solar cell unit further has an antireflective coating layer circumferentially disposed on transparent tubular casing. The antireflective coating layer comprises magnesium fluoride, silicone nitrate, titanium nitrate, silicon monoxide, or silicone oxide nitrite. The nonplanar solar cell is cylindrical shaped and has a cylindrical axis. The solar cell further has at least one electrode strip (420), each electrode strip is laminated on the transparent conductive layer along the cylindrical axis of the solar cell. The electrode strip comprises a conductive epoxy, a conductive ink, copper or its alloy, aluminum or its alloy, nickel or its alloy, silver or its alloy, gold or its alloy, conductive glue, or conductive plastic. Preferred Properties: The nonplanar solar cell has length between 2 cm and 300 cm. The solar cell unit has water vapor transmission rate of 10-4 g/m2.day or less, preferably 10-6 g/m2.day or less, more preferably 10-7 g/m2.day or less.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Component: The sealant cap (S1) is made of metal, metal alloy or glass. The casing is made of borosilicate glass or soda lime glass. The sealant cap (S1) is made of Kovar or low expansion stainless steel alloy. The sealant cap (S1) and back electrode are made of aluminum, molybdenum, tungsten, vanadium, rhodium, niobium, chromium, tantalum, titanium, steel, nickel, platinum, silver, gold, their alloy or their mixture. The sealant cap (S1) is made of indium tin oxide, titanium nitride, tin oxide, fluorine-doped tin oxide, doped zinc oxide, aluminum doped zinc oxide, gallium doped zinc oxide, boron doped zinc oxide, or indium-zinc oxide. The sealant cap (S1) is made of aluminosilicate glass, borosilicate glass, dichroic glass, germanium/semiconductor glass, glass ceramic, silicate/fused silica glass, soda lime glass, quartz glass, chalcogenide/sulfide glass, fluoride glass, pyrex glass, glass-based phenolic, cereated glass, or flint glass. The back-electrode is made of indium tin oxide, titanium nitride, tin oxide, fluorine-doped tin oxide, doped zinc oxide, aluminum doped zinc oxide, gallium doped zinc oxide, boron doped zinc oxide indium-zinc oxide, a metal-carbon black-filled oxide, a graphite-carbon black-filled oxide, a carbon black-carbon black-filled oxide, a superconductive carbon black-filled oxide, an epoxy, a conductive glass, or a conductive plastic. Preferred Substrate: The substrate comprises plastic, glass, metal, or metal alloy. The substrate and transparent nonplanar casing comprise aluminosilicate glass, borosilicate glass, dichroic glass, germanium/semiconductor glass, glass ceramic, silicate/fused silica glass, soda lime glass, quartz glass, chalcogenide/sulfide glass, fluoride glass, glass-based phenolic, flint glass, or cereated glass. The transparent nonplanar casing is made of glass. The substrate is tubular shaped and a fluid is passed through substrate. The fluid is air, water, air, nitrogen, or helium. The substrate has a solid core. Preferred Layer: The semiconductor junction layer comprises a homojunction, a heterojunction, a heteroface junction, a buried homojunction, a pi-n junction, or a tandem junction. The transparent conductive layer comprises carbon nanotube, tin oxide, fluorine doped tin oxide, indium-tin oxide (ITO), doped zinc oxide, aluminum doped zinc oxide, gallium doped zinc oxide, boron dope zinc oxide indium-zinc oxide or their mixture. The semiconductor junction layer comprises an absorber layer and a junction layer. The junction layer is circumferentially disposed on absorber layer. The absorber layer is made of copper-indium-gallium-diselenide. The junction partner layer is made of indium selenide, indium sulfide, zinc sulfide, zinc selenide, cadmium indium sulfide, cadmium zinc sulfide, zinc indium selenide, zinc magnesium oxide, (Zn1-xMgx0), cadmium sulfide, tin oxide, zinc oxide, zirconia, or doped zinc oxide. The absorber layer comprises copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS). The transparent conductive layer is coated with a fluorescent material. Luminal or exterior surface of casing is coated with a fluorescent material.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Layer: The filler layer comprises ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), silicone, silicone gel, epoxy, polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS), RTV silicone rubber, polyvinyl butyral (PVB), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polycarbonate, acrylic, fluoropolymer, or urethane. The sealant cap (S1) is sealed to primary end of casing using butyl rubber loaded with active dessicant such as calcium oxide or barium oxide.