Rest in Peace: The List of Deceased Solar Companies, 2009 to 2013

This updated list is actually good news.

Photo Credit: Gonzo Carles Creative Commons

by Eric Wesoff
December 01, 2013

OK, if Black Friday can start on Thanksgiving, then we can start making year-end lists on December 1.

We listed the more than 200 VC-funded solar startups back in 2008. We knew that we'd be writing about most of them on their way up -- as well as on their way down.

So here is an updated list of (mostly U.S. and EU) solar companies that have closed, gone bankrupt, insolvent, ended up in assignment for benefit of creditors, or have been acquired at pennies to the dollar. Although there is a macabre element to this list, this is actually positive solar news. The solar companies left standing in 2014 and 2015 will be the stronger firms with viable business plans and sustainable value. They'll have made it through the bottleneck of the early 21st century solar market.

(Of course, there's another long list of relatively unknown Chinese companies closing down as well.)

Here's an incomplete list of the solar firms that have fought the good fight, but have moved on:

2009 to 2010

Bankrupt, closed, acquired



2011

Bankrupt, closed

Acquisition, sale



2012

Bankrupt, closed

Acquisition, fire sale, restructuring



2013

Bankrupt, closed

Acquired

Watch List

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Which solar companies are still around and thriving in this fast-growing, 30-gigawatt global market? Most of them will be at GTM's U.S. Solar Market Insight event in San Diego later this month. Register here.