SPG SOLAR, INC. OF SAN RAFAEL NAMED ONE OF THE "HOT 100" FASTEST GROWING COMPANIES IN THE U.S.

Entrepreneur Selects One-Year Old Solar Design and Installation Company, Now One of the Largest Solar Electric Installers in the West

San Rafael, Calif. (June 25, 2002)–Entrepreneur magazine named SPG Solar, Inc. (SPG) of San Rafael as one of the fastest growing companies in the U.S. in the magazine’s June 2002 issue.

SPG made the magazine’s annual "Hot 100" list of the nation’s fastest growing new businesses because of its skyrocketing success as as a designers and installers of residential and commercial solar energy systems .in California. SPG’s recent commercial and governmental solar projects include some of the largest solar installations in the West.

The Hot 100 is Entrepreneur magazine’s annual list of the fastest-growing new businesses in the U.S.

SPG’s commercial and governmental clients include Mt. Tam Racquet Club of Larkspur, California (150 kilowatts), Blake’s Auto Body of Rohnert Park, Calif. (50 kw), and the City of Vallejo Police Department, Vallejo, Calif. (31 kw). SPG has installed over 500 solar systems in California.

Dan Thompson, 45, started SPG in March 2001 with $50,000 in personal savings. SPG now fields over 23 employees and projects sales of $20 million in 2002. Mr. Thompson has over 20 years of experience in the electrical industry and holds a California General B, Solar C-46 and C-10 Electrical Contractor license, #759086.

"The timing is right now for solar and we’ve blown past every business plan we’ve written so far," said Dan Thompson, president of SPG. "The technology has come down in price. The business consumer and home market are fed up with the utilities and paying for high power, yet still having to put up with the threat of blackouts. And state and municipal governments are making solar very attractive to build with rebate and payback programs. Solar’s time has definitely come."

SPG is California’s fastest growing installer of solar power facilities for private homes, businesses and government facilities. Clients include the Mt. Tam Racquet Club, Larkspur, Calif. which has a large 150 kW solar array that will go online in July; Blake’s Auto Body, Petaluma, Calif.; and the Potrero Hill Head Start center, San Francisco. SPG has installed over 500 solar PV systems in California. In its introduction to this year’s fastest growing companies list, Entrepreneur magazine said, "The entrepreneurs on this year’s Hot 100 list prove it’s possible to not just survive, but thrive."

How Solar Works

Solar energy systems consist of three components: PV panels, inverters and a performance monitor. PV panels convert sunlight into DC (direct current) electricity. The inverters change the DC into AC (alternating current), the same power supplied by electric utilities. The AC is distributed through a building's electric service panel and flows to outlets, lights and switches. The performance monitor shows the amount of power the system is generating at any time to verify production. Solar is a clean and renewable form of electricity generation. PV systems generally have no moving parts (with the exception of solar tracking systems), is silent, runs all the time while the sun is shining, and produces zero emissions-air, ground or water.

About SPG Solar, Inc.

SPG is the industry's most experienced developer, designer, and installer of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems for homes, businesses, and large-scale commercial and government facilities. SPG's commitment is to build the highest-performing solar PV systems with the highest return on investment. The result is clean, reliable electricity that reduces or eliminates customers' electric utility costs. SPG has installed over 500 solar systems in California, including the Potrero Hill Head Start in San Francisco, and Westmont High School in Campbell, California. Major projects include the Vallejo Police and Fire headquarters, Vallejo, Calif., and the 520 kW system for the Sewerage Commission-Oroville Region. SPG is a licensed and bonded California General B, Solar C-46 and Electrical C-10 Contractor, License #759086.