Mayor Adams Addresses Solar Energy Goal; Portland Formally Recognized as Solar America City

PORTLAND, OR, Apr 20 (MARKET WIRE) --
Mayor Sam Adams announced yesterday at the National League of Cities'
(NLC) Green Cities Conference & Expo that the City of Portland has
adopted a new goal of obtaining five megawatts (MW) of city-wide solar by
2012. This solar goal was debuted when the mayor took the stage to have
Portland formally recognized as a Solar America City by the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE). Through the Solar America Cities program,
Portland receives financial and technical assistance to fund innovative
solar energy initiatives that are designed to facilitate mainstream
adoption of solar energy and will serve as a model for other cities.

"With Portland's Solar Now! campaign, the City has made great strides in
overcoming the perception that solar does not work in Oregon. The efforts
here demonstrate that going solar does not need to be complex and that
even in the Pacific Northwest, solar can be a key component of a city's
energy infrastructure. We're very pleased to help accelerate Portland's
efforts and to see Mayor Adams forge new solar goals for the city," said
Tom Kimbis, director of solar market transformation, Department of Energy.

Throughout the Green Cities conference, the City of Portland is being
highlighted as an exemplary model of green initiatives and innovations
that bolster the economic and physical health of its infrastructure and
citizens. Portland is one of only 25 cities in the nation to receive the
Solar America City designation by the DOE.

"Having Portland recognized as a leader in solar adoption is significant.
For years we fought the misperception that solar is impossible in this
part of the country. We know that to be false, as we demonstrate through
collaboration between public and private enterprises, that we can be
leaders in the manufacturing and adoption of solar energy," said Mayor
Adams. "To continue to lead as America's most sustainable city, we have
set a 5MW goal and, with the assistance from the U.S. Department of Energy
and our Solar Now! partners, I believe we may even double that."

Since the inception of Solar Now!, Portland residents and businesses have
installed over 2MW of solar electric power, removing 2 million pounds of
CO2 from the environment that would otherwise be produced from traditional
power plants. The program provides a one-stop resource for homeowners and
businesses seeking to access clean, reliable energy. With DOE support,
Solar Now! streamlines Portland's permitting process, as well as helps
implement solar on City-owned facilities.

In addition to providing financial assistance to the Solar America Cities,
the DOE offers hands-on assistance from technical experts to help
integrate solar technologies into energy planning, zoning and facilities.
As an example, a portion of the Solar America City funding for Portland
will be used for a solar map portal that will enable residents to quickly
access the estimated solar potential of their rooftops, as well as see
existing solar installations in their neighborhood. The portal will also
provide an important visual mechanism to track the growth of solar energy
installations around the city and provide links to resources and financial
incentives to go solar. The portal is currently under development by CH2M
HILL, a technical assistance partner to the City of Portland through the
Solar America Cities program.

For more information, please visit http://www.portlandonline.com/bps/ and
http://www.solaramericacities.energy.gov/.

To download video please visit
http://newsinfusion.com/video_details.php?videoId=290

Editor's Note: For information about Solar America Cities or to conduct
interviews with Mayor Sam Adams or with Solar America Cities spokespeople,
please contact: Jennifer Wills, 303-882-4676 or by email at
jwills@groundfloormedia.com; or Jennifer Jansky, 303-956-0001 or by email
at jjansky@groundfloormedia.com. Previews and demonstrations of the solar
map being planned for Portland can also be made available upon request.

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=962810

Embedded Video Available:
http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/release_html_b1?release_id=492419

Contact:

Jennifer Wills
303-882-4676
jwills@groundfloormedia.com

Jennifer Jansky
303-956-0001
jjansky@groundfloormedia.com

Copyright 2009, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

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