President Jimmy Carter promoted a similar program in response to the rapid increase in oil prices after the fall of the Shah of Iran. The present push is of course based on the fear of global warming and the drive to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions. In all of this, it is well to remember that solar radiation is not only exceedingly dilute but also quite unsteady. The US per-capita rate of energy consumption is 10 kilowatts, assuming good conservation measures. This means that every man, woman, and child requires a collecting area of 500 square meters, or a football field for the average household.
Renewable energy is horribly land-intensive.
And this is not counting the capital cost of the equipment, maintenance, transmission of energy, and storage when the sun is not shining.