Curious, where do you get your news? What gives you the impression that coal or gas would possibly be cheaper than solar?
They're still flogging the "vast areas of the earth" one nearly two years after someone debunked it and they said "very encouraging!" to that info.
Now: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46259179
Early 2024: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39415988