On August 31, 2011 Solyndra announced that effective immediately the company will suspend manufacturing and will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. With the news of a publically funded solar company failing, Navigant principal analyst Paula Mints is concerned that PV manufacturing facts will be overshadowed.
The facts are that investment in PV manufacturing and the market for these technologies creates a lot of jobs. Clean energy from PV is good for the environment and offers energy independence. And, once a solar system is installed, the running costs are minimal. Although it is still costly to install a system of any size, once the system is in place energy consumers enjoy clean, reliable energy for over 20 years.
Solyndra’s technology was designed to compete in large fields. It was designed to compete on large white roofs. It could not compete with inexpensive crystalline technology that is also higher in conversion efficiency.
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