About a month ago cost figures came out for some new Coal-fired goodness nearby: Initial costs are now 2-3 dollars per watt, and of course rising.
Also, Coal just set a record at $ 15 per ton (partially due to washed out railway). Not to mention other operating expenses.
Rocky Mountain News
So I think it can be said that statements like "The cost of solar power per kilowatt is at least four times that of coal or natural gas" are rapidly becoming incorrect, even without a breakthrough in thin film.
http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/articles.asp?id=34416
Which doesn't mean solar is a drop-in replacement for coal, but the current cost of coal-fired infrastructure surprised me.
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