The James Logan Courier

By Thao (Michelle) Hoang, Courier Staff Writer

President Obama visited the East Bay Wednesday,his second trip to the Bay Area since he took office. President Barack Obama toured the Fremont solar panel manufacturer, Solyndra, during his 19-hour stay in the East Bay.

Before his Wednesday morning visit to Solyndra, Obama attended a pair of Democratic fundraisers Tuesday evening in San Francisco — one for Senator Barbara Boxer, who is bracing for a tough re-election battle this fall. This will be her fourth term. He also attended a fundraiser for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Furthermore, Last year, Solyndra received a $535 million federal loan guarantee from the Department of Energy, to build a new solor panel manufacturing plant. It is expected to create 3,000 construction jobs and 1,000 permanent jobs. The Obama administration has touted the project as a major success story of the economic stimulus bill, which provided the funding.

In addition, the facility, which manufactures cylindrical solar photovoltaic panels, will provide enough clean renewable energy to power 24,000 homes a year through the first phase of production, according to the governor's office. “It’s here that companies like Solyndra are leading the way toward a brighter and more prosperous future,” President Obama said in a speech.