OREGON'S SOLAR PANEL MANUFACTURING FIASCO

   A multi-year effort by federal, state, and local agencies to prop up an Oregon solar-panel manufacturer has ended in a shuttered factory, millions of taxpayer dollars down the drain, and a heavily polluted manufacturing site.
   In 2010 SoloPower Systems (SoloPower) claimed it could manufacture “flexible” solar PV cells and modules that were light and thin enough to be installed on buildings that couldn’t support regular solar panels. SoloPower’s prospects yielded relatively quickly to marketplace realities with the company’s largely untested technologies proving unreliable and more expensive than those offered by its competitors
   “It is ironic state and local officials are now suing SoloPower, the company they once swooned over and heavily subsidized,” said Taylor. “Instead of suing SoloPower, they should personally reimburse taxpayers and resign.”