If the first solar entrepreneur hadn't been kidnapped, would fossil fuels have dominated the 20th century?

https://techxplore.com/news/2023-10-solar-entrepreneur-hadnt-kidnapped-fossil.html

> One argument put forward in defense of fossil fuels is that they were a historical necessity, because there was no other viable substitute for much of the 20th century. We owe fossil fuels a debt of gratitude, the argument goes, because they supercharged our development. But what if I told you there was a viable alternative, and that it may have been sabotaged by fossil fuel interests from its very inception?