Climateprogress: What The Press Is Getting Wrong About Solyndra; Timeline

[bananas]

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/09/20/323353/what-the-press-is-getting-wrong-about-solyndra/

What The Press Is Getting Wrong About Solyndra
By Climate Guest Blogger on Sep 20, 2011 at 9:45 am
A Media Matters cross-post on the coverage of the Solyndra bankruptcy by Joceyln Fong and Shuana Theel.

In the rush to cover the bankruptcy of Solyndra, a solar panel manufacturer that received a loan guarantee from the federal government, many news media outlets have misrepresented or omitted key facts.

<snip>

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/09/13/317594/timeline-bush-administration-solyndra-loan-guarantee/

Exclusive Timeline: Bush Administration Advanced Solyndra Loan Guarantee for Two Years, Media Blow the Story
By Stephen Lacey and Climate Guest Blogger on Sep 13, 2011 at 11:10 am
by Stephen Lacey and Richard Caperton

It’s often claimed that the Solyndra loan guarantee was “rushed through” by the Obama Administration for political reasons. In fact, the Solyndra loan guarantee was a multi-year process that the Bush Administration launched in 2007.

<snip>

[tosh]

1. Well. K & Invisible R.

What could it mean?

[kristopher]

2. Thank you VERY much.

I don't know if accurate information can counteract the damage of the narrative, but this is a good presentation.

"To set the record straight, Climate Progress is publishing this timeline — verified by Department of Energy officials — that shows how the loan guarantee came together under both administrations. In fact, rather than rushing the loan for Solyndra through, the Obama Administration restructured the original Bush-era deal to further protect the taxpayers’ investment:"

[Abq_Sarah]

3. It doesn't matter

Yes, it was a multiyear process but the DOE under the previous administration kicked it back for further review/information in Jan 2009, prior to the inauguration. Conditional approval was granted two months later. The issue wasn't that the company was considered for a loan, it's when the loan was approved and were they taxpayers protected.

[Cool Logic]

4. Ah yes...the blame game...politicians are soooo predictable.

Regardless of who is to blame (it occurred on Obama's watch), this an example of why we must not let the fedgov (and K-Street) pick the winners and losers in the sphere of energy technology. My fear is that like ethanol subsidies, the fedgov will advance the worst of ideas and technologies.

In a few years, solar panels and wind turbines are going to appear to have been very primitive attempts at advancing energy technology. The question is will it be hydrogen fuel cells, anti-matter, or some unheard of and extraordinary discovery that will provide the energy of the future?

The next question is will the fedgov keep it's primitive bull out of the China shop, so that science and technology can discover the energy of the future?

[txlibdem]

5. The technology was unique... just too darned expensive to manufacture

According to the MSM they spent $6 manufacturing but could only sell it for $3 per watt. I think their downfall was the glass tubes surrounding the thin film solar panels.

"Solyndra’s cylindrical design offers proven reliability and superior performance. Each panel is made up of 40 individual modules, wired in parallel for high current, which capture sunlight across a 360-degree photovoltaic surface capable of converting direct, diffuse and reflected sunlight into electricity."

With a white roof there would have been much more potential for energy production and they should have been able to produce energy starting earlier in the morning and extending later in the day. I haven't seen any "real-world" third party tests of their solar units.

In short, by enclosing the thin film in a sealed glass tube they added far too much cost, compared to flexible solar panels which are coated with protective material and have all the same benefits except the 360 degree energy collection and even they are quite a bit more expensive than the standard panels coming out of China.

[Viking12]

6. The innovative technology would be (somewhat) competitive had silicon prices remained sky high

The price of silicon dropped precipitously along with the rest of the economy in 2008. As the NYT points out, the were significant blinders about that particular market vulnerability.

http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2011/09/15/15climatewire-how-well-did-doe-know-solyndras-technology-a-88462.html

Edited to add: When high silicon prices recur, the technology will make a rebound in some form.

[txlibdem]

7. True. That couldn't have helped.

But the real crime is the MSM are all over the $45 Billion loans of which Solyndria was a part. They got half a billion which is serious money but isn't much more than 5% of the total. I'm crossing my fingers that the other funded projects continue on pace just to shut the MSM up. That way the Democratic Candidate in 2012 will be able to point out the successes far outweigh the one flop.