A fascinating result - what economists like to call an unintended consequence - from the Sichuan earthquake. It is making windpower look relatively much cheaper. Why?

Adding wind-energy capacity is cheaper than other alternative forms such as hydroelectric, solar or nuclear - said  Maggie Lee, lead manager for Invesco Hong Kong Ltd.'s $4.6 billion Asia Infrastructure Fund.

Unlike some alternative energy advocates, I really have no objection to large hydro or nuclear. But they take a very long time to build and finance and for an economy growing at over 10% a year, that matters. Bloomberg however have focussed on Dongfang Electric Corp (a stock I shall shortly add) because the May 12 event flattened their factory and killed 500 of their workers. This seems to have created something of a sympathy wave of orders for the firm for wind turbines . . .