They are also closer to the consumer, negating a big chunk of the transmission losses. Also, while thermal electric plants may be more efficient at large scale

They are also closer to the consumer, negating a big chunk of the transmission losses. Also, while thermal electric plants may be more efficient at large scale, I'm not sure how that works at small scale, or if there is a difference in how much capacity they lose in cloudy weather compared to photovoltaics. Actually, I wonder what the ratio of installed photovoltaics to thermals is per region and generator scale.