A much better plan is to use an excess of solar energy to power processes that produce ethanol-based fuels and then keep a reserve of those (which by the by, is

A much better plan is to use an excess of solar energy to power processes that produce ethanol-based fuels and then keep a reserve of those (which by the by, is carbon sequestration at best and neutral at worst). Coal power plants are awkward and inefficient and require a lot of work just to move the fuel around. There's a reason the world worked hard to develop better fuel technologies as quickly as possible.