"Military spearheads clean-energy drive"

On Sept. 25, 2011, the Washington Post reported that, ironically, as Congress rejected legislation that could have advanced renewable energy sources to address the worsening climate crisis, the Pentagon is seeking to expand the use of "alternative fuels" in order to achieve energy independence needed for national security. However, the raging political controversy caused by the "Solyndra solar loan guarantee scandal" likely influenced the Energy Department's decision to turn down a separate solar loan guarantee, which Energy Secretary Steven Chu had previously bragged would be “the largest domestic residential rooftop solar project in history.”

Not mentioned in the article is the fact that the Nuclear Navy has no plans whatsoever to phase out atomic reactors from its submarines and aircraft carriers. Nor does the U.S. government appear ready to live up to its Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty commitments to abolish its nuclear weapons arsenal any time soon, either.

Price of solar falling precipitously -- the ironic silver lining of the "Solyndra solar scandal"

Amidst the "Solyndra solar scandal" (the Washington Post editorialized on November 18, 2011 that Solyndra is but the symptom of a diseased U.S. Department of Energy loan guarantee program), U.S. Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) pointed out that Solyndra's bankruptcy has resulted from the dramatic decrease in price of solar power panels internationally -- a sign that solar power is growing by leaps and bounds around the world. DOE said as much itself on August 31, 2011 in its response to the Solyndra bankruptcy and loan guarantee default.  The Post article reported: 

"Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) charged that committee Republicans were focusing on Solyndra because fossil fuel industries were threatened by the possibility that solar and wind could become competitive with oil and coal.

'Republicans attacked solar energy because they say it’s too expensive,' Markey said. 'But Solyndra failed because the price of solar energy has become too cheap.' "

"Trade War in Solar Takes Shape"

The New York Times has reported on a U.S. solar panel manufacturing industry coalition effort to block Chinese solar panel "dumping" into the United States -- the latest sign that renewable solar energy is growing by leaps and bounds.