Some alternative-energy developers that could gain millions in federal energy loan guarantees under the stimulus program may have shaky finances, according to financial filings and outside reviews. However, executives defend their start-ups’ strength and potential, while a U.S. Energy Dept. official is confident the feds’ investment will be repaid.
Solar energy developer Solyndra, Fremont, Calif., which received a $535-million DOE guarantee last year, has not showed a profit since its 2005 founding and was reviewed negatively last month by accountant Pricewaterhouse Coopers, which questioned its future. Tyngsboro, Mass.-based Beacon Power, which has a conditional $43-million guarantee to build a 20-MW energy-storage plant in upstate New York, faces delisting from the NASDAQ exchange by September if its share price does not rise above $1.