Solyndra is a new company that is about to go IPO next year. It produces cylindrical panels like so:



underneath view:



One thing nice about Solyndra is that their cylindrical panels are 100% manufactured and made in the USA. They have about $1.2B in contracts.

I've been to their facilities in their main office in Fremont, CA, doing some third party consulting, so I work very indirectly with their engineers who wanted CAD to database linking. Anyway, they are one of those companies to watch out for.

Their cylindrical panels are very unique and offer no problem with winds. Whenever Solyndra hits retail, it really would make nice patio cover or trellis cover. It could be used also as an elevated covering over swimming pool to give partial shade while generating power.

Another is for many nursery growers that require shade houses with partial sun or shading their greenhouses, why not produce a lot of power at the same time?


More news here (once you click the first link, scroll down to watch video):
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_10653270?source=rss
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/solyndra-reshapes-solar-panels-commercial/story.aspx?guid={8F2D6413-353B-45D1-9CF3-61C2631BFB39}&dist=hppr

And Solyndra's PVs are actually thin film CIGS!

Solar start-up scores with series of tubes

Original Article:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10059988-54.html?tag=mncol;title

Quote:

Solyndra's series of tubes offer a unique angle on solar power. (Credit: Solyndra) October 7, 2008 9:50 AM PDT Posted by Candace Lombardi Post a comment Solyndra, a start-up making thin-film photovoltaic systems, has secured $600 million in funding. It's additionally secured $1.2 billion in contracts from clients in the U.S. and Europe, the Fremont, Calif.-based company revealed Tuesday. What start-up gets that kind of funding and client promise? Basically, one that's invented thin-film solar panels shaped like old-school fluorescent lightbulbs. Since 2005, Solyndra has quietly been developing a proprietary CIGS-based thin film photovoltaic (PV) system and a staff of more than 500 employees. CIGS is a material that includes a combination of copper, indium, gallium, and selenide. It's now being used by quite a number of companies to make thin-film solar cells among other things. Solyndra's cylindrical PV panels don't have to be spaced to leave room for rotation toward the sun as with flat solar panels. The panels are actually rows of cylindrical tubes which are installed horizontally and close to one another. The tubes can "capture sunlight across a 360-degree photovoltaic surface capable of converting direct, diffuse, and reflected sunlight into electricity," according to Solyndra. Solyndra panels consist of tubes that can absorb sunlight from all angles. (Credit: Solyndra) The company also says that because of this unique shape and mounting system, more productive solar surface area can be packed onto one roof than with conventionally shaped panels. Subsequently, its system is able to generate "significantly more solar electricity on an annual basis" compared with flat panels, according to the company. Because Solyndra's tube panels are lighter and allow wind to pass through them easily, there is less construction needed in terms of rooftop anchoring or shoring up a roof for significant weight-bearing. Because of this, according to Solyndra, its system is significantly cheaper to install than flat-panel systems While solar power may not be considered the complete solution to U.S. energy woes, many commercial, industrial, and public facilities are looking at using solar photovoltaic systems as a supplement to their facilities' energy diets. In April, for example, the landmark Staples Center in Los Angeles announced it will be covering its 24,196-foot roof with photovoltaic modules. Thin-film solar cells, particularly CIGS panels, have been attracting a lot of attention and funding. SoloPower, NanoSolar, and Ava Solar are thin-film solar companies that have announced funding in the hundreds of millions over the last few months. Even IBM is getting into CIGS solar cells through a partnership with a Japanese semiconductor equipment manufacturer. Solyndra's funding comes from a mix of venture capital and private equity investments totaling $600 million to date. Solyndra investors include Virgin Green Fund, the Abu Dhabi-based Masdar, Rockport Capital Partners, and Argonaut Capital, according to a company spokeswoman. The company has already been expanding its current plant, Venture Beat reported early Tuesday morning. Solyndra counts Solar Power, the company contracted to do the Staples Center, and Phoenix Solar, a large solar power integration company in Europe, among its satisfied customers. "By eliminating the need for roof-penetrating mounts and wind ballasts, PV arrays with Solyndra panels can be installed with one-third the labor, in one-third of the time, at one-half the cost. For commercial rooftops, PV module installation time can now be measured in days, not weeks. For flat commercial rooftops this is game-changing technology," Manfred Bachler, chief technical officer at Phoenix Solar, said in a statement. Candace Lombardi is a journalist who divides her time between the U.S. and the U.K. Whether it's cars, robots, personal gadgets, or industrial machines, she enjoys examining the moving parts that keep our world rotating. Email her at CandaceLombardi@gmail.com. She is a member of the CNET Blog network and is not a current employee of CNET.

A really outstanding article. Having a greenhouse located at 5,540 feet altitude in Colorado, over heating from May through September is a big problem. At 5,440 feet the sunlight is very strong, even causing Colorado's population to have the highest skin cancer rate in the USA. A greenhouse shading structure that also would be a supplier of energy would really be something. However, for greenhouse use, the panels would have to be easily removed during the fall and winter's low light levels. However with Solyndra's light weight this should not be a difficult problem. I believe the article said that the tubes were made out of glass. I wonder about hail. The front range of Colorado has the highest hail fall in the country. For a small retail buyer, much depends on the price of the product. Joe, great article, I read every word you posted. - Millet

A short time after this post was originally written, the President toured Solyndra and spoke on the value of its clean green energy manufacturing as the future of providing jobs for Americans. His administration also handed Solyndra a $535 million dollar grant. Today, after going through the $535 million dollars, and unsuccessfully asking for another $750 million dollar grant, Solyndra declared bankruptcy, and let go all their employees. The management of Solyndra is currently being investigated by the FBI. So much for a Presidential green energy visit, and the waste of $535 million of our tax dollars. - Millet (592-)

After the recent tax payer loss of $535 million dollars with Solyndra solar, today the radio announced that the Administration just handed over a grant of $1,000,000,000.00 dollars to Solar City, for solar on military housing on U.S. military bases. For a in debt country existing on borrowed money, one would think the spending would slow down. Guess not. - Millet (490-)

Three more US solar companies out of business.
First, BP Solar in Maryland, gave pink slips to all of their American worker and moved green "jobs" to China & India. Then came Spectra Watt in N.Y. and Evergreen in Massachusetts all closed their doors.

After being widely hailed by Maryland officals and promoters of "green jobs", BP closed its solar-panel manufacturing plant in Frederick, laying off 320 American workers and moved its solar business out of the United States to facilities in China, and India

SpectraWatt Inc., backed by the money of two American giant corporations, Intel Corp. and Goldman Sachs money filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the second U.S. solar company to do so this month.
SpectraWatt owes creditors $38,700,000.00 million and is planning to auction almost all of its assets

Evergreen Solar Inc., of Massachusetts received tens of millions of tax dollars in state subsidies from the Patrick administration for an ill-fated Bay State factory, has filed for bankruptcy, released its 800 American workers. The company listed $485,000,000.00 in outstanding debt. After the bankruptcy filing, Evergreen Solar quickly reopened its solar business and begun doing business as usual in China.

Millet - (488-)