yes.
I disagree. They are making progress in energy storage systems and research into nano materials.
if we define a "small time frame" as one day, then no. you are absolutely wrong. using solar energy to power stuff is like trying to power things with a flashlight. not to mention the earth's atmosphere plus cloud coverage absorbs a great deal of the sun's light before it can reach the surface. the amount of energy you can get in a day from mining coal is much greater than the amount of energy you can get in a day of "solar farming" from even a mile-wide solar panel farm
What are you talking about? You mentioned the raw amount of energy that radiates from the sun, that is
everything that the Earth catches whether it is absorbed or reflected or whatever else. Don't blame me because you didn't say what you actually meant in that you were talking about the net energy available to be captured by solar panels. Then I went so far as to agree with you that actual solar panel energy collection is not viable on a large scale so why are you arguing this?
it is every day. the energy that reaches earth from the sun in a day that can be harnessed is far smaller in amount than what we extract each day from nuclear power
Again here you are changing your wording just so you can argue meaninglessly. I agree the amount we can actually collect is far lower than that which can be produced via fossil fuels and nuclear.
EDIT: My apologies, you did say Earth's surface in your original post and it is I who misread that section. I still don't think researching the technology is a waste of time though.