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When you're comparing numbers based on subsidy per unit of production there is enormous gap. I don't know what the current numbers are but in 2007 it was about $0.44/MWh for coal. Wind and solar were getting $24.00/MWh. If you drop the subsidy for the coal you're not going to notice a 44 cent increase in your monthly bill, you'd certainly notice a $24 increase.
Coal doesn't set the price of electricity in very many places.
There is not enough physical silver to accomplish this. Solar panels require silver. At this point in time, there are less than a billion above gound ounces. Peak silver was reached a while back. In the US, silver mining is producing over 50% less in 2012. China use to be a net exporter until 2012, now China is a net importer.
Some people talk about the "alternative to silver" or thin film. This process is so posionous, it only takes a couple of molecules per billion in drinking water to cause cancer. In China, a thin-film solar panel had a leak. Down the river several miles, some pig farmers rinsed out feeding troughs. They didn't use the water for drinking, just washing. The residual from the solar panel manufacturing killed the pigs. There was a massive demonstration of citizens there because of the cancer.
Silver on the other hand is safe for manufacturing. But, the destruction of silver (the consumption in manufacturing that can't be reclaimed) is higher then the manufacturing. Silver is used for anti-bacteria medical treatments in 3rd world countries, for drinking water purificaiton, for lead-less elecronic solder, and for solar panels.
Printing government cash won't magically create more silver. All the easy silver has been mined. This is why silver will very likely exceed $150 and ounce in 2013 - 2014.
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