From what I've seen, solar costs more energy to make than they produce, and the Chinese companies making the cheap panels have both technical issues and mounting debt.
Germany massively subsidized their industry, but could not bear the losses anymore.
http://www.spiegel.de/international...ny-to-rethink-energy-revolution-a-852815.html
I looked at solar for my house and it isn't a positive deal for me. Not even close.
I don't have a problem with putting these technologies to use, just that forcing them is a huge loser.
In fact, I place a lot of the blame for the 2008 economic problems squarely on way overspending on these green deals. Pushed the price of everything higher so people on the edge could no longer afford their mortgages. Ethanol production alone drove up both fuel and food costs.
Let the market sort it out. It's really good at determining the most efficient things to produce and the most efficient way to distribute. If oil gets scarce enough, people will figure out cheaper ways to do things that normally require oil.