http://www.eurotrib.com/story/2005/7/10/192721/947

Check out this graph from 2004?  It puts the cost of windpower about even with coal and less than nuclear, with natural gas a bit cheaper.  How much have fuel costs increased since 2004?  Double for natural gas, nuclear fuel,  and coal?  That is a pretty good guesstimate.

Construction costs have increased acroos the board, but with mass production and installation of wind machines the cost will come down compared to the other sources.  Mass production efficiencies have already been realized for the other sources.

What would a current update of this graphical representation show?  and where would solar PV and solar thermal fit in comparison?  I suspect the results would be shocking.  It would show, as many have suspected all along, that renewable energy would actually dramatically lower energy costs, as it lowers GHG.

The capital invested in renewables would quickly be payed off in lower energy costs and a revived economy free of energy cost inflation that is driving all inflation.  The revival of the manufacturing, jobs, and tax base would be a huge extra benefit.  largely capital investment cost free, because the capital investment would be payed off in a few years with lower energy costs.

Then there is the titanic savings from reversing GHG climate disaster.  The 10s of trillions in lost economic growth from ever increasing volatile weather patterns.  Each Katrina sized event, hurricane, firestorm, flooding, power outage, all stop economic activity in its tracks, requiring huge amounts of new capital investment in clean up.

Economists are falling down on the job in this area.  I suspect mainly due to the fact that they are mostly employed as advocates for "free marketeeerian" think tanks and short term bottomline concerned "banks", really trading firms in league with hedge funds to scam markets with insider trading monopoly gaming.

We need some real economists not beholding to corporatist power to look at these issues.  Right now!  Barack, could you find some honest economists to address this?  It would help your campaign.