http://www.withouthotair.com/ -- this book (available for free on-line) goes into very detailed energy-math-based comparison of all major power sources, focusing especially on various forms of wind, hydro and solar. It might be especially relevant to your concerns because it focuses on various ways of combining the above to make the UK run fully on sustainable energy.
RE various problems of costs you've mentioned, I do think we're applying a double-standard here, but it's a double-standard against nuclear. I rarely see people talking just about how much solar is subsidized (two or three years ago AFAIR it was government subsidies that made PV installations make any economical sense for anyone, though I've heard it might have changed recently), or how much bribery is going on with those infrastructure projects.
RE various problems of costs you've mentioned, I do think we're applying a double-standard here, but it's a double-standard against nuclear. I rarely see people talking just about how much solar is subsidized (two or three years ago AFAIR it was government subsidies that made PV installations make any economical sense for anyone, though I've heard it might have changed recently), or how much bribery is going on with those infrastructure projects.