Christian Science Monitor: “Solar power is the energy of the future – and always will be.” That tired joke, which has dogged solar-generated electricity for decades due to its high cost, could be retired far sooner than many think. While solar contributes less than 1 percent of the energy generated in the United States today, its costs are turning sharply downward. Whether using mirrors that focus desert sunlight to harvest heat and spin turbines or rooftop photovoltaic panels that turn sunshine …