Three DOE National Labs (ORNL, ANL, INL) Report on the Conversion of Coal Plants to Nuclear Plants.

[Finishline42]

9. Except...

A lot of dams have locks associated with them that facilitate barges moving cargo more economically than even trains. There are a lot of rivers that wouldn't be navigable without dams to maintain a pool height.

Windmills provide income to farmers/ranchers and property tax to those localities. They don't make a significant negative impact on the local environment. Visually you might not like them but to a land owner in a wind blown part of the country, it's a welcomed addition.

I think you are missing what should be a major application of solar in desert areas. Solar panels provide much needed shade in areas where desertification is an issue. They could also be set up to collect dew to irrigate crops to combat one of the major problems in arid areas.