solar startups

President Obama's $2 billion booster shot for solar is surely good news for the green energy sector. But it may not be enough to counter the drag of a global economic stall that many see coming. Because when other energy prices fall, solar investment tends to dry up.

The next two years will be rough in the thin-film solar industry, as economic conditions cull the cash-strapped herd of startups, a Photon Consulting analyst predicts. But companies with healthy balance sheets -- and luck -- could follow in successful First Solar's footsteps.