In Solyndra’s Wake, Solar Company Sees Bright Spot

A small solar power company hopes to become a winner in a market littered with losers.

San Jose, Calif.-based SoloPower is opening a $60 million manufacturing facility in Portland, Ore., Thursday as it works toward receiving a major government loan — like the one given to now-bankrupt Solyndra. SoloPower thinks it has a strategy to succeed where Solyndra failed.

SoloPower makes a niche product in a highly competitive market. It’s a lightweight and flexible solar panel, uniquely designed for commercial and industrial rooftops that can’t bear the weight of the older, heavy traditional modules, says CEO Tim Harris.