State's Largest Private Solar Array Goes Live on NCSU Campus

RALEIGH, N.C.--(Business Wire)--Richard Harkrader, owner of Durham-based Carolina Solar Energy,
has waited three years for this day.

After many lessons learned, the solar project his company began in
2004 is finally up and running on the North Carolina State University
(NCSU) campus next to the RBC Center in Raleigh, making it the largest
privately financed solar photovoltaic (PV) array in North Carolina.

The 75.6 kilowatt (kW) system, comprising 432 ground-mounted solar
panels, was dedicated on Jan. 15, at a ceremony hosted by
NC GreenPower and NCSU. The power it generates is sold to Progress
Energy.

"I believe consumer demand for green power will quickly outpace
supply in our state," said Harkrader. "One of our goals with this
project is to show that solar power is feasible on a large scale right
here in North Carolina."

Until now, the state's primary investors in solar energy projects
have been homeowners, environmentalists and a handful of large
corporations or government agencies. Cost is often cited as one of the
major prohibiting factors.

But the barriers that the industry once faced are now being
overcome, thanks to available federal and state tax incentives, as
well as demand created by NC GreenPower, a non-profit program that
enables electric customers to support cleaner energy options across
the state through voluntary contributions on their electric bill.
Today, the program supports a number of green power projects,
including more than 100 solar energy sites statewide.

"It's an exciting time to be in the renewable energy business,"
said Robert Koger, president of NC GreenPower. "And we're very pleased
to be a part of the success story of green power in North Carolina."

The site dedicated Tuesday is located on land provided by NCSU and
will serve as both an educational project for students and a visible
reminder of the changing landscape of energy. The dedication also is
part of the University's "Year of Energy," a special year-long focus
on energy-related issues and practices.

"In setting energy as our priority and focus, NCSU is
demonstrating a commitment to our land grant mission of meeting the
needs of the citizens of North Carolina," said Chancellor James
Oblinger.

Meeting the needs of North Carolina residents is also a priority
for Progress Energy, which purchases the electricity generated by the
solar array.

"We are focused on a balanced approach that includes investments
in new energy-efficiency programs, alternative and renewable energy
technologies and state-of-the-art power plants," said Progress Energy
Carolinas president and chief executive officer Lloyd Yates. "This
solar array is part of the solution."

While all in attendance celebrated the significance of the NCSU
solar array, Carolina Solar Energy's founder stressed that more work
remains to be done.

"Photovoltaic solar technology has come a long way in the past few
decades," Harkrader said. "There's no doubt solar power is becoming a
viable investment in North Carolina, and will improve the larger
projects we build."

The NCSU solar array is the first in a series of projects that
Carolina Solar Energy plans to build. Future plans include several 100
kW systems hosted by businesses, schools, shopping centers and
government facilities across the state.

For additional information, visit www.ncgreenpower.org.

NC GreenPower
Jeff Brooks, 919-857-9026
jbrooks@ncgreenpower.org
or
Communicopia
Angela Jamison, 919-827-1689
angela@communicopiapr.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008