A recent article by Robert Lahey points out that while the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act designated $36.7 billion to the Department of Energy, only $4.5 billion has been spent thus far, and the majority has not gone to clean technology companies.  A loan guarantee program with $3.9 billion in funding remains 99% unawarded, and can be leveraged to support $34 billion in loans to equipment manufacturers, technology providers, and project developers.  The potential exists for progress to be made with these funds, but many factors are contributing to long delays, from drawn out environmental studies to lobbyist restrictions to rigorous credit requirements.  Progress is slow, but the long-term impact has the potential to be a game changer for renewable energy development.