Comments on: Learning the Wrong Lessons from the Solyndra Bankruptcy

By: MojoNixon

MojoNixon — Tue, 02 Jul 2013 22:19:00 +0000

You are all incorrect (including the author). The reason solyndra went belly-up is that their technology was unfounded and without sound science review.
I know because I tried reviewing their technology and they refused to engage. Shortly thereafter they jumped out of the game.

By: Ed

Ed — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:50:00 +0000

“A grasshopper with no legs is deaf” Your entire conclusion is wrong. Move the decimal place one place on wages at Solyndra and labor for the products used in the manufacturing and see who wins. It has nothing to do with investment. 500 mil is a good start for any business if the people loaning the money watched and understood how it was being spent. One can not compete price wise on a product when competition has a 10 times labor advantage.
Ed K.

By: President Obama’s Jobs Speech (Full Text & Video from White House + Commentary) | CleanTechnica

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 08:30:40 +0000

[…] to our current need to invest in clean energy and energy efficiency infrastructure, research, innovation, and development. Not spelled out as such, but expressed in a way that more of the general public […]

By: Low Cost Solar Power Gets $145 Million Boost from SunShot Initiative | CleanTechnica

Sun, 04 Sep 2011 18:32:45 +0000

[…] cost solar energy technologies, despite the recent bankruptcy of one of its biggest past awardees, Solyndra. The money will go to sixty-nine projects in twenty-four states. The investment of $145 million is […]

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 21:51:00 +0000

We need to stay the course with solar investments to the anticipated grid parity around 2016. Success is vital for energy security.

By: windsord

windsord — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 20:17:00 +0000

I never could see how making sure half the photovoltaic material was always pointing AWAY from the sun would give Solyndra an advantage. Maybe if I had a billion dollars to invest I would be smarter.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 19:10:00 +0000

highly recommend checking out this piece: http://cleantechnica.com/2011/08/23/solar-power-intro-3-key-solar-power-points-top-solar-power-news/

& re-read everything “Question” wrote. good points as well.

By: Question

Question — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 18:56:00 +0000

What would you call the massive subsidies that the fossil fuel industry receives except government investment in private industry?

While residential solar is still expensive for an individual home (though if you can afford the upfront costs it has a return on investment better than the stock market over the past 10 years!), it is very reasonable for utility scale deployment.

Furthermore, what makes you say that “it breaks”? What would make you say that? PV systems are pretty low maintenance compared to the heavy investment in upkeep that coal or nuclear require. Besides, as your example shows, distributed power generation is a lot more robust. If you had a solar system you’d have power now. Now what breaks?

All this said, I agree, it would be wonderful if prices fell. Well, guess what? They are! and that is why Solyndra failed… prices dropped far faster than expected and are likely to keep doing so. In 5-10 years the only way the utilities will be able to keep people from having solar will be by legislating it.

By: Chris Kautz

Chris Kautz — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 18:20:00 +0000

It isn’ the job of the US gov to invest in private industry. What a joke, it just proves that solar energy isn’t ready for the main stream, too expensive, it breaks. I would love be off of the grid and not rely upon the power company as I am still out of power from Irene