St Mary’s County Public Schools Go Solar with Perpetual Standard Solar

12/01/2010

MEA Project Sunburst Grant Provides Solar Energy and Educational Benefits for Students

Rockville, MD—December 1, 2010—Standard Solar, Inc., a leader in the full-service development, installation and financing of solar electric systems for commercial, government and residential customers, and its joint venture partner Perpetual Energy Systems LLC (Perpetual), a comprehensive financier of solar powered renewable energy systems, today announced the installation of a large scale solar electric system supporting Maryland’s St. Mary’s County Public School System (SMCPS). As a Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) Project Sunburst Partner, SMCPS received a grant from MEA specifically designed for the development of solar electric projects on public buildings in Maryland. The array will be installed by Standard Solar and jointly developed, owned and operated with Perpetual.

The initial installation will consist of a 503 kW system on the George Washington Carver Elementary School in Great Mills, MD. This system will consist of more than 2200 ARRA compliant solar panels. Once completed, the elementary school’s system is expected to generate approximately 677,000 kilowatt hours of electricity in its first year of operations, representing 80 percent of the school’s energy needs. The amount of clean energy the system will produce in its first year is equivalent to taking 105.5 cars off the road each year.

Dr. Michael J. Martirano, superintendent of schools, said, “Project Sunburst is a very important project to St. Mary’s County Public Schools, not only in the cost savings that we will recognize but it is a key component in our green school initiative where we are able to provide educational opportunities to our students, staff, and community which promote the use of our sustainable resources. This has truly been a collaborative effort and I applaud the Maryland Energy Administration, Standard Solar, Incorporated, Perpetual Energy Systems, LLC, Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, and the staff of St. Mary’s County Public Schools for their work on this project.”

In an effort to renew their commitment to environmental sustainability and energy conservation, SMCPS entered into a 15 year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Perpetual Standard Solar, enabling SMCPS to host the solar installations without any capital outlay. The PPA will provide SMCPS a projected 30 percent offset of their current electricity consumption. Perpetual Standard Solar partnered with Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative Inc. (SMECO) to purchase the solar renewable energy credits (SRECS), contributing to the project’s financing.

“As more and more solar projects are developed, SMECO customer-members will benefit from locally produced power that helps the Co-op meet its goal of investing in renewable energy. These types of projects fit with our portfolio of environmentally friendly energy products, and they provide alternatives to traditional energy supply,” said Sonja Cox, SMECO’s CFO and Senior Vice President of Financial, Economic, and Employee Services. “We are enthusiastic about working with St. Mary’s County Public Schools and Standard Solar on the George Washington Carver Elementary School project, which is the largest solar project on the Co-op’s system to date.”

In addition to significant energy cost savings, SMCPS will add a solar focused renewable energy program to its science curriculum. The central lobby of George Washington Carver Elementary School system will feature a state-of-the-art, secure, web-based monitoring system allowing students, faculty and visitors to view the daily, weekly and annual solar electricity generated.

“Perpetual is pleased once again to partner with Standard Solar in its effort to provide viable solar energy solutions to host clients such as SMCPS,” said Michael Streams, SVP of Business Development for Perpetual, “as a source of comprehensive project financing, requiring no upfront capital outlay by the host.”

“With the signing of this Power Purchase Agreement, Perpetual Standard Solar and St. Mary’s County Public Schools have forged a true partnership focused on stabilized energy costs and educational opportunities for students,” said Tony Clifford, CEO of Standard Solar. “The Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative is playing a crucial role in financing the project by agreeing to acquire the environmental attributes associated with the project. In addition, Solar Tech of Hollywood, MD, a St. Mary’s County business, will team with Standard Solar on the installation of the system. The result is a local project supporting local companies and enriching the local community.”

The SMCPS project is the first system installed by Standard Solar that is part of MEA’s Project Sunburst. MEA received significant funding through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) to promote clean, affordable and reliable energy. As part of this initiative, MEA has set aside a significant portion of this funding to promote the installation of renewable energy systems on public buildings in Maryland through Project Sunburst. In order to maximize available incentives and limit upfront costs, Project Sunburst Partners will host renewable energy systems and contract for the electricity generated through power purchase agreements. SMCPS was one of 21 recipients statewide to receive the Project Sunburst grant.

SMCPS will host a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the installation on Monday, December 13, 2010 at 9:00 AM at the George Washington Carver Elementary School. Members of the press are invited to attend.
Together, Standard Solar and Perpetual provide a complete turnkey solution to academic, government, commercial, and utility clients interested in benefitting from renewable energy without having to outlay the large amount of capital required to design, engineer, construct, maintain and operate commercial-scale solar systems.

About Perpetual Energy Systems

Perpetual Energy Systems is an independent power producer of renewable energy projects, providing clean energy power to educational, industrial, commercial and municipal enterprises and utility companies. By utilizing the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), Perpetual is able to provide such host clients with on-site clean, renewable energy resources with no capital (zero) outlay required from host clients. Perpetual Energy Systems combines renewable energy tax incentives with conventional financing and sponsor equity to achieve the design, construction, installation, operations and maintenance of renewable energy systems. For more information, please contact Michael Streams at (818) 668-2834 or michael.streams@goperpetual.com or visit www.goperpetual.com.

About SMCPS

St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS) is consistently ranked with the top school systems in the state regarding academic performance. This year, SMCPS leads all Maryland school systems by achieving an adequate yearly progress rating of 98.95 percent on the Maryland School Assessment (MSA). More students are receiving choice based programs through the school system’s educational pathways. These pathways, which allow students to be successful at the next level of education and in the world of work, include the Chesapeake Public Charter School, STEM academies at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, the Academy of Finance and the Global and International Studies program at the high school level, Tech Connect Program, and Fairlead Academy at the high school level for students who need additional support building a sustainable future is a high priority for the school system. SMCPS has great focus on its green school program, with a green school coordinator in each school. The school system recently completed construction on a Gold LEED elementary school where every aspect of the building is a teaching tool and is relevant to the curriculum, including photovoltaic panels, a wind turbine, two 15,000 gallon cisterns for the harvesting of rainwater, and attention to the environmental sensitive sites in which the school has been carefully placed to preserve endangered species. Additionally, SMCPS has a green school mobile classroom that travels to each school to support the curriculum, and has a mascot, Wattson, who works with students to promote energy conservation and recycling efforts, and educates students on the importance of natural resources.

About SMECO

SMECO is a customer-owned electric cooperative providing electricity to over 148,000 services in southern Prince George’s County, and in Charles County, St. Mary’s County, and all but the northeast portion of Calvert County. Co-ops are distinctly different from investor-owned utilities because co-ops are owned by their customers, and these members elect the men and women who serve on the Board of Directors.

Co-ops also issue capital credits to their members. What are capital credits? They are the member’s share of the co-op’s margins, based on how much electricity the member purchased and the rate at which the account was billed. SMECO’s margins—revenue less expenses—are used as working capital for new construction and system improvements. Each year, SMECO determines what percentage of the capital credits can be distributed to the members. Capital credits are then issued by check or credited to the member’s electric bill.

About Standard Solar

Standard Solar, Inc. is a leader in the full-service development, construction, integration, financing and installation of solar electric systems. Dedicated to making solar solutions more accessible to consumers, businesses, institutions and governments, the company is leading the way to energy independence. Committed to offering responsible and energy cost-saving solar solutions that conform to the highest standards, Standard Solar is one of the most trusted and respected solar companies. Since 2004, Standard Solar has been the partner of choice to make solar energy financially accessible, helping customers through financing options, including Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and navigating expanded federal and state and local tax credits. The company’s Standard Energy Solutions (SES) division provides energy auditing and retrofitting services for energy improvement projects. Ranked the 73rd Fastest Growing Private Company in America in 2010 by Inc. magazine, and the highest-ranking renewable energy company on the list, Standard Solar is headquartered in Rockville, MD. For more information, please visit www.standardsolar.com.

PR Contact:

Keira Shein
WilkinsonShein Communications for Standard Solar
410/363-9494
keira@wilkinsonshein.com