The politics of clean energy have become dirty in the past year or more, and some in the media aren't helping to clear things up.

Media Matters' watchdogs earlier this fall found that Fox News had aided Republican efforts to make Solyndra the face of clean energy in 2012 by incessantly covering it a year after the California company declared bankruptcy.

The mainstream media didn't fare much better in Media Matters' analysis. MSM outlets, it said, have disproportionately hosted opponents of clean energy to discuss Solyndra, uncritically repeating allegations that Solyndra's loan guarantee was politically motivated.

Actually, there may be something to these allegations, given reports in recent days about how a senior Energy Department official had pushed the White House budget office to approve the government's loan.

Still, whether we're talking about Solyndra or, more locally, the failure of Loveland-based Abound Solar, there's been a lot missing from the discussion.

So, what parts of the story aren't being told? A lot, as it turns out.

Our energy reporter Steve Lynn, digging into Department of Energy documents, helped fill in a huge gap in the public's understanding of the