There are lots of big solar farms popping up.

Is it actually economical or are there giant fed subsidies that are covering most of the $?

The problem with solar is the power consumption curve. Meaning that much of the power demand is at night once people get home, and the sun is no longer shining. How do you store that power?

(giant fed subsidies that are covering most of the $? )

This

battery banks and solar panels aren't as efficient as you would think, aka it takes a LOT of panels to run a house just like you would run it on the power grid. ideally you have a mix of solar, wind and generator. "supposedly" you can generate more energy, cheaper, running a good generator burning fuel (depending on fuel prices, of course), than setting up for wind and/or solar.

They taking up good farmland up here putting those damn things in

You left out a major factor in the equation. Natural gas electric generation facilities. It’s really solar vs gas. Unless fracking is banned or some unforeseen event drastically increases gas prices, coal’s ship has already left the port. Some coal plants are already out of the money vs $2/gas.

Solar is actually starting to become competitive on a per MW basis now but as already pointed out it’s not always available when you need it. Battery technology is still lagging and most large scale utility solar doesn’t have battery storage currently available.

This. I was formerly a SINCGARS program manager. It was constantly more battery life....more battery life........Hear still on the products we build today.

Yep, it's all about the subsidies with wind and solar. You might still be amazed at the cost per MW of these solar farms even AFTER the subsidies. Gas is the cheapest and most efficient way to go, but we need some major pipeline upgrades and new pipeline installed to deliver it consistently. It's a nightmare during winter months. I'll just leave it at that. Been working in the electric utility industry for 24 yrs now dealing with this.

FYI, load peaks roughly at 7-8 in the morning during winter months, and around 4-5 in the afternoon during the summer months. That's Mon-Fri...weekends can be a crapshoot.

Sylacauga has a large solar panel field that you and I paid for. When asked, the head of their electrical division told our boss that the entire field would not supply the power to run his house. Overrated.

liberals spout off about solar power, battery power, wind power.... you got to store it somehow Id like to know how much waste the massive battery banks they'd have to use make when the batteries have to be replaced.

It seems to me that hydroelectric dams, could be improved to turn out a lot more electricity than they currently do, and that you wouldn't have the expensive solar crap that doesn't work well.

IMO, nuclear plants are the way to go. Most folks know nothing about Plant Farley. It just runs.

The big solar farms don't use batteries. They provide power when the sun is shining. Then some gas plant some where doesn't have to run
Nuke plants produce continuous unless in an outage

Nuclear is the safest, cleanest, and most renewable form of energy we will ever have. It’s mind blowing that people are against it.

^^^This

Somewhere I heard, maybe it was on here, that more people died falling off roofs installing solar panels than nuclear power plants.

Nuke plants are where I make my money.

This is a little off topic, and I know they can't hold a candle to coal, gas, and nuclear power, but I thought this idea would be nice if I lived on the coast somewhere around Maine or Nova Scotia.

That would have to be to massive to produce any real energy it isn't logical.

You would be far better off limiting the water input and installing a water turbine. Salt water would corrode anything you built it from.

Need more coal plants coal is good for all of us

Solar power is just another liberal lie crooked politicians sold to America.

For every megawatt you need about 3-4 acres of panels. Example- Alabama Powers 4-unit coal burners are typically maybe 800 megawatts each some smaller, some larger. About 3200 megawatts total. 3200 X 4 = 12,800 acres of solar panels to produce what 1 -4 unit coal burner produces, and that’s if the sun shines. So is it effective well maybe yes. Is it efficient, hell no!! I did one of my senior college papers on this very thing. The most efficient goes like this Nuc, Hydro, Natural Gas, Coal, with wind and solar being last. Solar is a total waste and as others have said, it’s all subsidies based. Obama train started that.