The Downfall of Uni-Solar and the Future of Solar Energy As We Know It


These stories were produced by PBS and are reproduced here as part of The Climate Desk collaboration.

It seemed like a classic “feel-good” economic story. A Midwest factory town loses its biggest employer but reinvents itself as a pioneer in green energy. In 2006, Uni-Solar, a solar panel manufacturing company came to Greenville, Mich., to open up shop. It brought hope and excitement to a beleaguered city. But now, is its economic future—based on the power of the sun—thick with clouds?

 

So what does Uni-Solar’s bankruptcy mean for the promise of a future filled with solar energy? For answers, we turn to David Biello, an associate editor of Scientific American. He’s been reporting on energy and the environment for more than a decade and has been following developments within the solar industry.

More Mother Jones reporting on Climate Desk

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We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

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