National media "chatter" surrounding the much-publicized bankruptcy of Fremont, Calif., solar panel producer Solyndra Inc. and the loss of $535 million in federal loan guarantees is hurting more successful renewable energy companies and obscuring the new industry's success, solar executives said.

In a conference call Thursday, members of Californians for Clean Energy & Jobs, a coalition of green businesses and environmentalists, said they wanted to put the Solyndra scandal into context. The controversy led to high-profile hearings in Congress and widespread Republican party criticism of the Obama administration.

The solar executives stressed that solar panel costs have plummeted, fueling increased residential and commercial demand for renewable energy. Additionally, the solar industry has come up with creative financing programs that allow homeowners to get off the utility electric grid without having to invest large amounts of money in buying rooftop solar systems.

Read more: Solyndra bankruptcy is aberration, solar power executives say

SolarReserve has closed financing on its 110 megawatt (MW) Crescent Dunes solar project. When complete, it is expected to be the U.S.’ first commercial scale solar power tower with fully integrated energy storage, and the largest of its kind in the world.

Located near Tonopah, Nevada, on federal land operated by the Bureau of Land Management, construction on the solar thermal project started earlier this month. It is scheduled to be operational by late 2013. SolarReserve subsidiary, Tonopah Solar Energy, LLC will construct, own, and operate it.

Read more: US: SolarReserve closes financing on 110 MW solar project

The first 32.2 megawatts of SunEdison and Xcel Energy’s 53.5-megawatt solar project in New Mexico are now online.

Three of the five solar power plants in Lea and Eddy Counties have been activated, including a 10.9-megawatt installation in Carlsbad and two 10.7-megawatt installations in Jal. The remaining two installations, a 10.6-megawatt plant in Eunice and a 10.6-megawatt plant in Monument, are expected to come online by November of this year. SunEdison, a subsidiary of MEMC Electronic Materials, is responsible for deployment and maintenance of all five installations.

Read more: Solar Project of the Week: SunEdison and Xcel Energy Installations in New Mexico

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- What would be the Southeast's largest solar power farm, generating enough electricity for 32,000 homes, is planned to be built in the Florida Panhandle, a Melbourne-based company announced Monday.

National Solar Power plans to construct the $1.5 billion, 400-megawatt solar array in Gadsden County, just west of Tallahassee.

The project is expected to provide jobs for 400 construction workers over five years and up to 120 permanent employees with an average salary of $40,000.

Read more: Huge solar power farm announced for Fla. Panhandle