Solar energy firms seen vulnerable - Barron's

NEW YORK, March 14 (Reuters) - Shares of a number of solar energy companies have become vulnerable as the Obama administration has turned out to be a lot less lucrative for green investors than originally hoped, Barron's said.

"For the industry, 2009 wasn't just disappointing; it was a nightmare," the weekly business newspaper said in its March 15 edition.

Companies whose shares could be hurt by the current glut of equipment and solar power capacity include Evergreen Solar Inc ESLR.O and Energy Conversion Devices ENER.O, as well as a number of European rivals, the newspaper said.

It also noted that Spain had capped its previously lucrative solar subsidy and that prices of solar equipment tumbled after the industry went into an "irrational" expansion frenzy.