Not so many hard hats the next time President Barack Obama visits Fremont? (Credit:Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Fab 1 was fancy, but Fab 2 is fancier, and according to the New York Times, the solar-panel maker with more than half a billion dollars in federal aid plans to announce today it will shutter the older plant and lay off 40 workers.

The opening of Fab 2 just seven weeks ago was supposed to be the first phase of a rapid expansion for Solyndra. Oh well.

Brian Harrison, Solyndra’s chief executive, told the Times “We’re adjusting our plans to be more in line with where the market is and where our business is at the moment.”

He added Solyndra could reopen Fab 1 or expand Fab 2, depending on how the market evolves.