Dealers in home heating coal charge as low as $100 a ton in bulk. Use maybe one or two tons per winter. How many tons of coal can you buy for the price of some solar panels? Enough to last a lifetime or two.
Our family owned coal mine charged $45/ton loaded in a pickup truck.
We had several customers who wanted to hand pick chunks before they went through the crusher. Chunks were loaded by hand in the back of an old station wagon...