SunEdison Activates Largest U.S. Photovoltaic Power Plant for Xcel Energy

Alamosa System Key to Colorado's New Energy Economy
ALAMOSA, Colo.--(Business Wire)--SunEdison, North America's largest solar energy services provider,
announced that the 8.22-megawatt Alamosa, Colo., photovoltaic (PV)
solar plant was activated today, ahead of its scheduled completion
date. It is the largest solar PV plant in the United States supporting
substation loads for a major public utility. The solar plant was
financed and built and will be maintained by SunEdison, under a Solar
Power Services Agreement (SPSA). Under the SPSA, Xcel Energy will buy
renewable energy credits and the solar power generated by the Alamosa
plant for 20 years.

In March, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, Jr. signed into law
legislation that requires utilities such as Xcel Energy to derive 20
percent of its power from renewable energy sources by 2020.

The groundbreaking for the new solar power system was held in
April and was attended by Gov. Ritter, U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, and
executives from SunEdison and Xcel Energy.

"Colorado is advancing to a New Energy Economy through projects
such as this in the San Luis Valley. It provides clean power to the
state, protects our environment, and brings jobs and revenue to rural
communities. The SunEdison solar power plant is a great example of how
our state is taking advantage of renewable energy," said Gov. Ritter.

"With help from Governor Ritter and leading organizations
including Xcel Energy and SunEdison, Colorado is emerging as the
renewable energy capital of the nation with the deployment of the
Alamosa photovoltaic solar plant and many other initiatives using
solar, wind and bio-fuels," said United States Sen. Ken Salazar. "The
development of renewable energy resources will help to secure our
energy independence, strengthen our national and economic security and
conserve our natural resources while revitalizing our long-ignored
rural communities. It is a win-win for everyone."

Building the solar power plant to support the substation created
approximately 50 new jobs in Alamosa and the San Luis Valley. Now
completed, the plant provides ongoing employment for a small, locally
based maintenance crew.

The solar power plant near the substation is unique in that it
consists of three distinct types of solar technologies:

-- Single axis tracking array

-- Fixed-mount array

-- Dual axis tracking array with photovoltaic concentrator
technology

According to Karen Hyde, vice president of resource planning and
acquisition at Xcel Energy, "This is a unique facility - three types
of solar technologies have been deployed in parallel. Performance
monitoring will allow us to study the system's performance and
evaluate the relative benefits of each technology over the system's
expected 20-year lifespan."

"Xcel Energy is an excellent partner, and is clearly committed to
providing clean energy for its customers," said Tom Rainwater, CEO of
SunEdison. "We are also thankful for the environmental leadership of
Governor Ritter and Senator Salazar. That leadership helped us to
commission this project two weeks ahead of schedule. Xcel Energy and
the state of Colorado have become leaders in creating policies and
solutions to meet energy needs to the benefit of residents and the
environment."

The Alamosa solar plant is on roughly 80 acres of land near the
substation in Alamosa and San Luis Valley in Colorado. The facility
will generate approximately 17,000 Megawatt hours annually, delivering
enough clean energy to power 1,500 homes. The Alamosa photovoltaic
solar plant will generate enough clean energy to remove the carbon
emissions produced by cars driving 765 million miles over 20 years.

About Xcel Energy

Xcel Energy (NYSE:XEL) is a major U.S. electricity and natural gas
company with regulated operations in eight Western and Midwestern
states. Xcel Energy provides a comprehensive portfolio of
energy-related products and services to 3.3 million electricity
customers and 1.8 million natural gas customers through its regulated
operating companies. Company headquarters are located in Minneapolis.

More information is available at www.xcelenergy.com.

About SunEdison

SunEdison LLC is North America's largest solar energy services
provider. 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 www.sunedison.com. The company
headquarters is located in Beltsville, Md.

For SunEdison
Loretta W. Prencipe, 703-941-0277
loretta@m1pr.com

Copyright Business Wire 2007