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HISTORIC LANDMARK IMPLEMENTS PHOTOVOLTAIC TECHNOLOGY

Masons Celebrate Interconnection Of 100 KW Solar Electric System At Historic Oakland Scottish Rite Center

San Rafael, CA, USA (May 18, 2005) - Members of the press and general media are invited to attend a ceremony and tour of the newly completed 100 kilowatt solar electric system for the 1927 landmark Oakland Scottish Rite Center (OSR) building on the shores of Lake Merritt on May 23rd at 4:00 pm. The ceremony will celebrate the inauguration of the 100 kW system - the largest photovoltaic installation in the City of Oakland; which was formally interconnected into PG&E's electric utility grid on May 16, 2005 after almost two months of construction.

The decision by the OSR Board of Directors in favor of moving forward with the installation of the roof-mounted solar photovoltaic array with SPG Solar, Inc. (SPG) was due to solar being the practical and environmentally sound solution for a busy organization with mounting electricity costs. The OSR building is utilized not only as a gathering place for the Masonic Fraternity, but also as a venue for wedding receptions, proms, concerts, plays, business meetings, etc.

The photovoltaic array, which is mounted on the roof at a 20° tilt angle and is oriented south (in order to provide maximum power output over the course of the year) will offset $30,000-$37,000 per year in avoided electric costs. The system will produce surplus energy on sunny days, which will spin the building's new bi-directional electric meter backwards, selling this power to PG&E at retail rates, and generating a credit on the OSR's monthly electric bill. The credits obtained for solar generated electricity will then be used up by the facility during nighttime & poor weather days. The solar system had a total cost of approximately $800,000, half of which was paid for by a rebate offered by PG&E's Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP). The 100 kW solar electric system will help the state of California to reach its Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) goal of obtaining 20% of power from renewable energy sources by the year 2017.

The solar panels carry a 25 year manufacturer's warranty against panel degradation. SPG will be servicing/monitoring the solar system remotely though its proprietary SunSpot® software and hardware system. Along with weather station reporting, real-time electrical production will be posted live every 15 minutes to a website and to an interactive kiosk in the facility's lobby. The software monitoring program will also store and chart daily, monthly, and annual kWh production in order to ensure the solar system is producing as expected.