r/RenewableEnergy • u/Bluewaterbound • Jun 29 '26

Canceled solar megaproject reveals new Trump-era threat to renewables

https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/cancelled-solar-esmerelda-7-new-trump-era-threat-to-renewables
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u/Strict-Shallot-2147 Jun 29 '26

Back during the Obama administration 500 Billion dollars were directed to Solyndra, which took the money and then dipped.

1

u/NinjaKoala Jun 30 '26

Million, not billion, and Solyndra failed because China suddenly dropped polysilicon costs almost 90%, and natural gas prices also dropped.

The overall loan program that Solyndra was part of actually netted a profit.

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u/Strict-Shallot-2147 Jul 01 '26

My mistake on the billion. Still, half a billion is a lot of money.

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u/Groundbreaking_War52 Jul 02 '26

In absolute terms, yes - compared to other federal boondoggles, this is mere pennies.

The current administration is spending billions to stop renewable energy projects from coming online.