Solar Power Experimentation facility to be built near Denver International.

FROM SOURCE:
Vast swaths of brown, barren land near Denver International Airport could soon become decorated with a dizzying array of mirrors reflecting sunlight. SolarTAC is evaluating sites around the airport to establish a major solar energy research center. A spinoff of the newly established Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory, SolarTAC will be launched in the coming months.

Rocky Mountain News

Seems logical that if there was an underground facility, they would need to expand above ground for matters such as this. After all, not much sun below ground.

I am probably pointing out the obvious, but you do not need sun to do solar tech. I am sure our light bulb technology can allow us to recreate conditions that would be good for experiments.

Also, testing with artificial light makes sense. It lets you test each experiment group with the exact same light so have as few variables as possible.

I hope one day we can get rid of our addiction to oil and move on to things like solar.