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Clean-tech firms lose luster

The companies face an uncertain future as the economy lags and subsidies dry up

By Erin Ailworth

 |  Globe Staff  

  November 13, 2011

High profile bankruptcies, plunging sales, and canceled acquisitions are raising questions of whether alternative energy can fulfill its promise as the next great growth industry for Massachusetts and the nation. Struggling with dwindling subsidies, a weak economy, and fierce competition from China, the US alternative energy industry appears to be entering a period of consolidation that is challenging the survival of some firms and claiming others. The failure of the Solyndra LLC is perhaps the best known example - but just one

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