The Downfall of Uni-Solar and the Future of Solar Energy As We Know It

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldbank/4841550483/in/photostream/">World Bank Photo Collection</a>/Flickr


These stories were produced by PBS and are reproduced here as part of The Climate Desk collaboration.

It seemed like a classic “feel-good” economic story. A Midwest factory town loses its biggest employer but reinvents itself as a pioneer in green energy. In 2006, Uni-Solar, a solar panel manufacturing company came to Greenville, Mich., to open up shop. It brought hope and excitement to a beleaguered city. But now, is its economic future—based on the power of the sun—thick with clouds?

 

So what does Uni-Solar’s bankruptcy mean for the promise of a future filled with solar energy? For answers, we turn to David Biello, an associate editor of Scientific American. He’s been reporting on energy and the environment for more than a decade and has been following developments within the solar industry.

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