Clean Tech Update 05.27.10

President Obama tours Fremont's Solyndra, touts clean energy (San Jose Mercury News)

President Barack Obama, in a trip designed to highlight green jobs and the urgent need for clean energy as oil gushes in the Gulf of Mexico, toured solar manufacturer Solyndra Wednesday morning and then addressed a select crowd of 250 people at the Fremont company's new factory.

Was the DOE loan guarantee for Solyndra a mistake? (earth2tech)

The reality is that it's not yet clear how successful Solyndra will be. Compared to many of the thin film solar companies around, including other CIGS players (which stands for the four materials that make up the solar cell, copper, indium, gallium, selenium), Solyndra has one of the highest manufacturing and capital factory costs around. Solyndra discloses in an amendment to its S-1 that its per-watt manufacturing cost was $4.00 per watt for the fourth fiscal quarter ended January 2, 2010 (page 4). That means Solyndra is spending more money than some competitors to make its solar gear at this stage, which could lead to higher operating costs than competitors, and could make it difficult for Solyndra to compete.

Tesla paid $42 million for NUMMI but does not have deal to build cars with Toyota (CNET)

Tesla Motors released a revised S-1 filing for its IPO today -- the first revision since it announced it is buying the NUMMI automotive plant in Fremont, Calif. and working with Toyota to build new electric cars. The new draft contains two key nuggets of information: Tesla is buying the plant for the bargain price of $42 million, but doesn't yet have any formal deal with Toyota to build a new electric vehicle there.

Will Obama's speech at Solyndra give it a pre-IPO lift? (Green Beat)

President Barack Obama, in Northern California this week to campaign for Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), made a stop Wednesday at cylindrical solar module maker Solyndra, to promote the climate and energy legislation that made its debut in the Senate several weeks ago, and to throw his weight behind the company, which has encountered hurdles on its way to an IPO.

CODA to build batteries in the US with Energy Dept. loan (Green Beat)

CODA Automotive, builder of electric cars and batteries, is diversifying its manufacturing operations, which had previously been based mostly in China. The company, headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif., says it will be opening a lithium-ion battery factory in Ohio that could add more than 1,000 jobs to the local area.