The latest data from the Department of Energy indicates that the same loan guarantee program which was roundly criticized after the failure of Solyndra has now created more than 20,000 jobs in clean energy, with several companies already paying back their obligations.
The Department of Energy currently has a portfolio of 28 companies that have received a loan guarantee for clean energy projects. For the purposes of brevity, were including nuclear in that category for now. According to the departments new numbers, those companies — which include some duds like Solyndra — have produced over 20,000 permanent and short-term jobs. All for the guarantee of about $26 billion. After Solyndra shut its doors, the company quickly became political shorthand for the failure of government investment. The truth is, as you might expect, far more nuanced.