I think this is a good reference article to put things in perspective when certain people try to pull the "Solyndra" card. Fair warning, there is some praise for Obama in the article :wink:
http://www.salon.com/2015/09/12/obama_has_done_more_for_clean_energy_than_you_think_partner/
In the end, the LPO’s successes helped kill off some of its own portfolio of projects. Building utility-scale solar photovoltaic plants like Agua Caliente and Antelope Valley helped render obsolete solar thermal power plants like Ivanpah and Solana as silicon technology improved dramatically and costs dropped whereas the price of steel and glass remained relatively high. Large photovoltaic installations also helped make solar panels so cheap that it drove companies like Solyndra—whose business model relied on PV remaining expensive—into bankruptcy.
The program has made a profit of nearly $1 billion in interest payments to the U.S Treasury to date. At least $5 billion more is expected over the next few decades as loans are paid back. That compares with $780 million in losses to date, the bulk of which is accounted for by the $535 million loaned to Solyndra. And more money could be made if the program were to ever sell its group of loans rather than managing them for the next few decades.
http://www.salon.com/2015/09/12/obama_has_done_more_for_clean_energy_than_you_think_partner/