A free market in such things as this is wonderful. What isn’t wonderful is when government arbitrarily picks a winner, even if it is not the best in class (e.g. Solyndra).
It is because of relentless competition to improve in engineering that we went from the vertical scans of Stooky Bill to the flat panels that most of us are sitting before, if not using their miniature version in smartphones. Let good solutions give place to better, and then even better, solutions.
Quiet revolutions like this, rather than government fiats (which are ludicrous in technological fields), could evolve the world past the need for fossil fuels, if other events do not intervene. I don’t think technology is going to be the bottleneck for mankind. I think spirituality will be.
I don’t want the government picking winners or losers in the energy field.... we tried it - it sucked.
I would love to see our government put resources towards the next energy revolution - thorium. I still believe the science behind the molten salt reactors for this much more plentiful (and cheap) fuel that cannot be weaponized holds tremendous promise. Consider it another “man on the moon type effort.”
I think solar at this point (and in the near future) only has localized and specialized application, but if these things were competitive I would definitely line the southern facing side and roof of my barn with it!