Not to be part of the microwave energy fandom (SBSA) but a huge reason photovoltaic cells are like THE form of green energy given the most attention is down to their marketability to the layperson. Getting people to buy inefficient options to bolt to their roof instead of investing in more serious forms of green energy production. (Such as solar towers, and SBSA)
And this doesn’t just apply to solar. Hydroelectric dams have become unfashionable to discuss due to waterway disruption, but almost no attention is given to modern alternatives such as tidal or (in my opinion the much better) wave based power systems.
When was the last time you heard about carbon neutral biomass generators or developments in hydrogen power?
Don’t even get me started on how nuclear STILL exists in the public mind a some sort of ultra-polluting catastrophe when it literally produces less radioactive waste than coal* (proportional to megawatt production) and has had massive improvements in safety.
*I bring this up because many people don’t know that coal ash is radioactive.
tl;dr the amount of positive press green energy solutions are given is directly related to their consumer market potential - starting with PV and with wind trailing behind only due to bulk.