Lesson plan

Solyndra

Solyndra was a manufacturer of cylindrical panels of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin film solar cells. It was based in Fremont, California. In 2009, the Obama administration co-signed $535 million in loans to Solyndra. Once promoted as a leader in the sustainable energy sector for its technology by the American federal administration, Solyndra was not able to compete with conventional solar panel manufacturers of crystalline silicon. The company filed for bankruptcy on September 1, 2011. Solyndra became the focus of a political scandal after it was publicized they "used inaccurate information to mislead the Department of Energy" in obtaining government loan guarantees, and their offices were raided by the FBI. "A four-year joint investigation by the Department of Justice and the Department of Energy's Inspector General concluded in 2015 without any criminal charges or findings of political corruption. While the 2011 bankruptcy resulted in significant taxpayer losses, the company subsequently recovered approximately $52.5 million through antitrust settlements with competitors for predatory pricing.

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Article summary

Solyndra was a manufacturer of cylindrical panels of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin film solar cells. It was based in Fremont, California. In 2009, the Obama administration co-signed $535 million in loans to Solyndra. Once promoted as a leader in the sustainable energy sector for its technology by the American federal administration, Solyndra was not able to compete with conventional solar panel manufacturers of crystalline silicon. The company filed for bankruptcy on September 1, 2011. Solyndra became the focus of a political scandal after it was publicized they "used inaccurate information to mislead the Department of Energy" in obtaining government loan guarantees, and their offices were raided by the FBI. "A four-year joint investigation by the Department of Justice and the Department of Energy's Inspector General concluded in 2015 without any criminal charges or findings of political corruption. While the 2011 bankruptcy resulted in significant taxpayer losses, the company subsequently recovered approximately $52.5 million through antitrust settlements with competitors for predatory pricing.

Key claims

  1. date of foundation: 2005 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  2. employees: 1,100 employees — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the date of foundation is "2005". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. The record states that the employees is "1,100 employees". What evidence would count against this claim?
  4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1378182116

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.