Solar is impractical at many latitudes, especially under cloudy and wintry conditions. With solar you have both an energy storage problem and a surface area pro

Solar is impractical at many latitudes, especially under cloudy and wintry conditions. With solar you have both an energy storage problem and a surface area problem. Right now, solar benefits from the fact that it is a small fraction of the overall input into the system. It is simply supplemental, so there is no need to store so much excess capacity. However, if solar and wind were the only forms of energy, you would need massive reserves of battery storage both for off-peak (night and low wind conditions) and for longer-term weather conditions. Also, if you get a Mount Tambora like episode, how do you think solar will fare in those conditions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Tambora https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Tambora ? You think it will be able to power our buildings, our vehicles, our factory equipment, etc? Coal is primarily getting outcompeted by natural gas, which is cheaper to extract.