The raid is part of a joint operation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, US Department of Energy and Office of Inspector General, said Julianne Sohn, a spokeswoman for the FBI.
As reported by REM last week, Solyndra, maker of cylindrically shaped CIGS solar modules designed for large commercial rooftop installations, has halted operations and plans to file for bankruptcy.
The move comes two years after the company received a $535 million loan guarantee from the US Department of Energy.
The demise of the company is seen as something of a gut-check moment for the Obama administration's clean-energy stimulus program, and the raid comes just hours before the president will deliver a major speech to the nation on his new jobs-creation program.
Solyndra was the first company selected to receive funding under the 2009 stimulus program, and in a May 2010 speech at the company, President Obama had said, “Companies like Solyndra are leading the way toward a brighter and more prosperous future."
In shuttering its doors, Solyndra laid off 1,100 workers.
Sohn declined to provide any additional details about the FBI raid, but Republican lawmakers in Capital Hill have already scheduled a hearing at which they’ve said they intend to get to the bottom of what happened to Solyndra and all that federal money..
The House Energy and Commerce Committee has schedule the hearing, entitled “Solyndra and The DOE Loan Guarantee Program,” for 14 September 2011.
The hearing, which will be begin at 9:30 a.m. EST, is being held in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC. The witness list has yet to be announced.
Solyndra is the third US solar manufacturer to close its doors in less than a month, and like Evergreen Solar and SpectraWatt before it, Solyndra says it can't compete with larger rivals in Asia as the price of solar panels continues to drop.
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