A small building tucked in the hills of Northern California shines with an unusual green glow from hundreds of glass tubes jutting out from one side toward nearby bushes.
Inside, the dark wooden shed contains an undulating wall filled with the translucent rods, each like a 3-foot-long drinking straw, sucking in a cool breeze and the rushing sounds from a nearby waterfall.
The work of experimental architecture is called the SOL Grotto — and Republicans are making fun of it as a symbol of a $528 million federal boondoggle, calling it the most expensive art project ever built.
The newly opened installation owes its 1,368 distinctive glass rods, and its name, to Solyndra — the failed solar company that received a hefty sum in federal loans before going bankrupt and becoming a favorite target for critics of President Barack Obama’s energy policy.
When the Fremont-based solar company went under, it left behind millions of 39-inch glass tubes custom-made for its signature solar panels.
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