The Department of Energy said it was saving taxpayers $7.56 billion. The actual amount is much less

By Ishan Thakore
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Hank Price, left, and Patrick Marcotte, of Solar Dynamics, in front of the parabolic solar collector they built
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Hank Price, left, and Patrick Marcotte, of Solar Dynamics, in front of the parabolic solar collector they built at the company’s test facility outside Watkins, Colorado, Oct. 16, 2025.

Dan Zimmerle, director and principal investigator at the Methane Emissions Technology Evaluation Center
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Dan Zimmerle, director and principal investigator at the Methane Emissions Technology Evaluation Center at Colorado State University’s foothills campus outside Fort Collins, Colorado, Oct. 15, 2025.

Part of the The Methane Emissions Technology Evaluation Center at Colorado State University
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A Rams logo one a storage container at the Methane Emissions Technology Evaluation Center at Colorado State University’s foothills campus outside Fort Collins, Colorado, Oct. 15, 2025.

Part of the The Methane Emissions Technology Evaluation Center at Colorado State University
Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Part of the The Methane Emissions Technology Evaluation Center at Colorado State University’s foothills campus outside Fort Collins, Colorado, Oct. 15, 2025. The testing facility replicates oil and gas field drilling and storage installations.

Inside Solar Dynamics' in the company’s massive, tent-covered facility outside Watkins
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Solar Dynamics senior engineer Nathan Stegall in the company’s massive, tent-covered facility outside Watkins, Colorado, Oct. 16, 2025.

Hank Price of Solar Dynamics reflected in a parabolic solar collector
Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Hank Price of Solar Dynamics reflected in the parabolic solar collector that he an his team designed and built at his company’s test facility outside Watkins, Colorado, Oct. 16, 2025.

Hank Price of Solar Dynamics in front of a heliostat
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Hank Price of Solar Dynamics in Broomfield talks about the development of a heliostat - a driven mirror that can direct sunlight to a specific target, at his company’s test facility outside Watkins, Colorado, Oct. 16, 2025.

Reflected sunlight on a panel from a heliostat at Solar Dynamics’’s facility outside Watkins
Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Reflected sunlight on a panel from a heliostat at Solar Dynamics’’s facility outside Watkins, Colorado, Oct. 16, 2025.

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