Solar industry officials insist that the solar market is strong and a growing part of the American economy. Solyndra “is the exception rather than the rule,” says Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association.

Political Fight

At the hearing, Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said, “I question whether the government is qualified to act as a venture capitalist, picking winners and losers in speculative ventures and shelling out billions of taxpayer dollars to keep them afloat.”

Stearns added, “I am very concerned about where the $10 billion DOE has left to spend before the Sept. 30 deadline is going.”

Jonathan Silver, executive director of the DOE's Loan Program Office, said, “Solyndra's situation should not overshadow the great work that the department's loan programs have done to date, or the need to continue to find ways to support clean energy in this country.”

American Solar's Isban notes that his firm had found Solyndra's panels to be “a superlative product.” He says Solyndra's system, which used thin-film solar cells in cylindrical arrays, was unique and offered a number of advantages: It was lightweight and didn't require penetration of the roof, was wind-resistant and was easy to install (ENR, 10/19/2009).

Isban adds that a large firm without a large debt load would be a good candidate to purchase Solyndra's assets once it gets through bankruptcy. “There is a place for [the technology] for sure,” he says.