During the weeks of nasty congressional hearings and even nastier columns in the press since solar panel maker Solyndra declared bankruptcy, it’s been widely assumed that the debacle cost the government over half a billion dollars. That huge loss may not come to pass. As the guarantor of the loan the company received to build a state-of-the-art factory in Fremont, Calif., the government is on the hook for the $527 billion Solyndra ultimately borrowed.