[Christian Science Monitor] The last time renewable-energy entrepreneurs were this gung-ho, in the early 1980s, subsidies — not sales — buoyed their business plans. This time may be different. … The RAND Corp. report — issued in November — estimated that if the cost to produce renewable energy continued to fall at its current rate, renewables could provide 25 percent of the nation’s power by 2025 at no additional cost to the economy and perhaps even save money. If current trends continue, for example, renewable energy will be 20 percent less expensive to produce in 20 years.
