Solar panels typically account for only about the third of the cost of a single-axis power plant, thanks to a plunge in photovoltaicmodule prices in recent years.
Solyndra, which was founded in 2005, invented a type of cylindrical solar module that was printed with thin-film photovoltaic cells that used little of the then-expensive polysilicon that forms the heart of conventional solar modules.
As conventional photovoltaicmodule prices plunged, thin-film companies found themselves under increasing pressure to raise the efficiency of their products and lower manufacturing costs to remain competitive.