Bringing Solar to the RNC: City Tour for Solar Educational Exhibit at CivicFest

Solar Energy Educational Exhibit Travels from Denver to the Twin
Cities
BELTSVILLE, Md. & MINNEAPOLIS--(Business Wire)--
A solar tour, designed to educate municipal leaders, community
members, public schools, universities and utilities on how to make
solar energy a meaningful power resource for their cities, will
exhibit at the Republican National Convention's CivicFest, Minneapolis
Convention Center September 1-4. With renewable energy policy becoming
one of the foundational issues in the final two months of the
presidential campaign, the City Tour for Solar is providing practical
information on how to plan, implement and verify the value of
municipal and utility solar programs to achieve solar-generated
electricity objectives at local, state and national levels.

"This is an extraordinary opportunity for the RNC delegates,
renewable energy advocates and citizens concerned about our country's
energy security policies to literally get a 'hands-on' education about
solar energy," said Carlos Domenech, Chief Operating Officer of
SunEdison, a co-sponsor of the City Tour for Solar. SunEdison is North
America's largest solar energy services provider.

The City Tour for Solar provides RNC and CivicFest attendees with
valuable information about how solar energy provides new "green" jobs.
For example, seven job-years are created for every megawatt (MW) of
solar energy installed. The tour will also address climate change
issues and explain how a secure, local independent power supply can be
ensured with solar energy.

Spanning 100 days, the national tour brings interactive
educational exhibits to 50 cities in Washington, Oregon, California,
Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Minnesota and Colorado. The
exhibits, powered by solar energy, will be transported by colorful
biodiesel-fueled trucks. http://www.CityTourforSolar.com.

RNC Exhibit Details: FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

-0-
*T
-- Monday - Thursday, Sept. 1-4, 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
CivicFest, Minneapolis Convention Center, 1301 2nd Ave.,
Minneapolis
*T

SunEdison, North America's largest solar energy services provider,
is the lead sponsor of the tour with four leading solar industry
companies: Evergreen Solar, Inc., a manufacturer of solar power
panels; United Solar Ovonic, LLC, a manufacturer of thin-film solar
laminates; SMA America, Inc., a manufacturer of solar inverters; and
Xantrex Technology, Inc., a manufacturer of advanced power electronic
products, including solar inverters.

With rising and volatile energy costs and increasing environmental
concerns, community leaders, citizens and energy companies are
searching for more information about solar and renewable energy. City
Tour for Solar will educate city leaders and managers on how to turn a
public demand for renewable energy into reality with clean,
predictably priced solar electrical power. The tour will include
practical information on how to plan, implement and verify the value
of municipal and utility solar programs.

Domenech further noted, "The reality is that solar is complex.
There are key concepts like 'interconnection standards,'
'net-metering' and others that national, state and local officials
need to understand in order to make the right decisions about solar
for their communities. We are simply bringing the knowledge to them as
an industry, so cities can deploy cost-effective solar energy when and
where it makes sense to them. We commend our industry partners
Evergreen Solar, United Solar Ovonic, SMA America and Xantrex for
making this city tour a reality."

Tour Schedule

The City Tour for Solar began Friday, August 1, at the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colo., and will visit 50
cities in the Western United States. The tour will conclude on
November 14, in Sacramento, Calif. For updated information on the tour
please visit: http://www.CityTourforSolar.com

About SunEdison

Sun Edison LLC is North America's largest solar energy services
provider and operates across a global marketplace. SunEdison provides
solar-generated energy at or below current retail utility rates to a
broad and diverse client base of commercial, municipal and utility
customers. For more information about SunEdison, please visit
http://www.sunedison.com.

About Evergreen Solar

Evergreen Solar, Inc. develops, manufactures and markets String
Ribbon(TM) solar power products using its proprietary, low-cost wafer
technology. The company's patented wafer manufacturing technology uses
significantly less polysilicon than conventional processes. Evergreen
Solar's products provide reliable and environmentally clean electric
power for residential and commercial applications globally. For more
information about the company, please visit www.evergreensolar.com.

About United Solar Ovonic

United Solar Ovonic LLC, a subsidiary of Energy Conversion
Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENER), manufactures and sells thin-film solar
laminates that convert sunlight to energy using proprietary
technology. Distributed globally under the UNI-SOLAR(R) brand, the
company's products are ideally suited for cost-effective solar roofing
solutions because they are lightweight, durable, flexible, can be
integrated directly with building materials, and generate more energy
in real-world conditions. http://www.uni-solar.com.

About SMA America

SMA America, Inc. is a proud part of the worldwide SMA family of
companies, with divisions in nine countries on four continents,
boasting over 2,000 employees, and continuous double-digit growth. SMA
America supports installers and small businesses in the solar industry
through marketing and training assistance. Since 2000, SMA America has
shown unfaltering commitment to the continued development and
implementation of leading-edge products, including some of the most
efficient solar inverters available nationwide.
http://www.sma-america.com.

About Xantrex

Xantrex Technology Inc. is a world leader in the development,
manufacturing and marketing of advanced power electronic products and
systems for the renewable, programmable, and mobile power markets. The
company's products convert and control raw electrical power from any
central, distributed, renewable, or backup power source into
high-quality power required by electronic and electrical equipment.
Xantrex is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, with facilities in
Arlington, Livermore, San Diego, and Elkhart, United States;
Barcelona, Spain; Reading, England; Berlin, Germany; and a joint
venture in Shanghai, China. Xantrex is listed on the Toronto Stock
Exchange under the ticker symbol "XTX". http://www.xantrex.com.

Gallagher Group Communications
Kimberly Hathaway, 415-989-2900
415-994-1097 (mobile)
media@gg-comm.com

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