For those who don’t remember the Solyndra saga, the California-based startup accepted a $535m loan guarantee from the US government in 2009 to build a US solar factory for making its novel ‘cylindrical’ panels.
Then, in 2011, amid falling prices for conventional solar panels, Solyndra went spectacularly bust. Several days later its offices were raided by the FBI.
While much was exaggerated about Solyndra and the US loans programme at the time, it was not a proud moment for the US solar industry.
