Solar Farming

My recent trips across the Great Basin and the Colorado Plateau gave me ample time to ruminate about the economics of solar power generation. The vast expanses of arid, sunny land seem ideal for such use, and the several for-sale signs invited my curiosity. Many questions came to my mind. How much per acre does such land go for? What is the going wholesale rate of electricity? What is the cost per panel of commercially-available solar panels? What is the highest efficiency of current commercially-available solar panels? Would it be more economical to install them at a fixed angle or to have them track the sun? What is the weathering on solar panels like? Does one have to clean the dirt off regularly? How do they stand up to hail? How much would it cost to hire labor to install them in a remote place? How much would it cost to connect the panels and in what configuration? What kind of hookup to the power grid is necessary and how much does that cost? While I am not thinking of leaving behind my PhD program to pursue "solar farming", it is an interesting question. I would think if the economics favored solar power, the energy companies would already be picking up the land and installing their own arrays.