SunPower: Twice As Bad As Solyndra, Twice As Bad For Obama

Human Events ^ | October 11,2011 | Neil W. McCabe

[CutePuppy]

Yeah but, how much of SunPower's book has come about because of government money funding projects? Is it more like 15% or more like 85%?

Only 43% of SunPower's sales are in the U.S., 21% in Germany, 22% in Italy, 10% in the rest of Europem and 4% elsewhere. 62% of the product mix are the components (not subsidized but, arguably, ultimately used in many subsidized markets) sold to other companies for assembly of solar systems, 38% are the complete assembled systems to distributors / installers.

Regardless, my point was not that the solar energy is a viable alternative to regular energy generating technologies or that much of the industry (in the U.S. or worldwide) would not even be at this point without governments subsidizing the developers, distributors and/or consumers of solar energy to push its acceptance - I have a pretty dismal view of prospects for wide use of solar energy, except in a very few localities / regions or relatively specific / small applications where it's feasible, convenient and/or cheaper to use (without subsidies) than alternatives.

See my post refuting the value of government involvement in this energy "research" and deployment:
The Phony Solyndra Scandal (Big government SUPPOSED to take risks the private sector won't) - FR post #44 / NYT, by Joe Nocero, 2011 September 24

My point was that the author deliberately (or ignorantly) misrepresented the financial and business condition of SunPower, trying to put it on the same plan with the fraudulent start-ups like Solyndra that would not get private financing (because they or their technologies were not viable in the marketplace) and received the government "loans" only because they were politically connected to Obama and Democrats. He should have emphasized the corruption aspect of the deal, he has chosen to resort to misleading statements about financial condition of SunPower and that has destroyed the credibility of the rest of the article. Liberal media gets caught in this every time, not that they care.

Author has done a disservice to his own material and the credibility of conservative media in general by playing up the misleading financial "facts" purely for effect.

[HKMk23]

Thanks for the run-down; I think we’re on the same page about the prospects for solar as an industry incapable of standing upright without government subsidies. Solar just is NOT ready for prime time, although it may be just one dramatic technological breakthrough away from true viability.

I further agree with your central observation: “Author has done a disservice to his own material and the credibility of conservative media in general by playing up the misleading financial “facts” purely for effect.