FREMONT, Calif., Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Solar power advocates say the failure of California solar panel company Solyndra was an anomaly, despite its heavy press coverage.
Solyndra declared bankruptcy with a $500 million federal loan guarantee, which means taxpayers will be footing much of the bill for the company's failure.
Republicans have pounced on the issue, declaring the Obama administration's faith in solar power misguided at best.
But U.S. Department of Energy spokesman Damien LaVera compared the remaining federally backed solar power projects to "building a hotel and having 100 percent occupancy pre-booked for 20 years before the ground is broken," the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.
Jan Smutny-Jones, executive director for the Independent Energy Producers Association trade group, said alternative power projects were "fat political target(s) at this particular time."
"That's unfortunate, because the vast majority of projects here in California are actually moving forward and creating jobs," Smutny-Jones said.
California is home to about 25,000 of the country's 100,000 solar power jobs. There are also six solar power projects in the state with $7 billion in federal loan guarantees that are doing well, the newspaper reported.
They just aren't getting the headlines Solyndra has garnered in part because President Barack Obama toured the Solyndra plant as a model of green power initiatives.
The formula that includes federal loan guarantees is also not new for advanced technologies.
"Many of these projects would not get built had it not been for the loan guarantees. With the newer technology, banks are not comfortable lending, so the idea is for the government to step in," said Brett Prior, a senior analyst with GTM Research in Boston.
