In response to steadily increasing demand, PowerLight Corp. has begun round-the-clock manufacturing of PowerGuard solar electric roof tiles, according to PowerLight's founder and CEO, Tom Dinwoodie. The announcement was made at the company's ten-year anniversary celebration.

"Demand for solar power is growing at a phenomenal rate - we are completing our fifth year of annually doubling growth," said Dinwoodie. "Customers want clean and reliable power for their facilities. We have responded to the demand, and in doing so, created high technology jobs. For every new job in our factory, many more are created in the field where the systems are installed." PowerLight estimates it has created several hundred new jobs in manufacturing and related construction industries.

Beyond increasing staff, PowerLight has made substantial investments in plant equipment and technology. A portion of these manufacturing improvements received co-funding from the California Energy Commission and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy. By the end of the first quarter of 2002, PowerLight's factory will have completed equipment upgrades to increase its manufacturing capacity to 20 megawatts per year. During its 25 year operating life, 20 MW of solar electric power saves the energy equivalent of over two million barrels of oil.

PowerLight offers a range of solar electric products for large commercial and governmental customers, including its flagship product, PowerGuard. PowerGuard is a patented, lightweight photovoltaic roofing assembly that delivers clean solar electricity to the building while insulating and protecting the roof from damaging effects of weather and UV radiation. PowerLight's PowerGuard solar electric roof tile system has been selected by many private and public sector organizations as the best solar electric technology application for flat and low-slope roof space.

Recent PowerLight customers include the National Park Service in Yosemite, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Alameda County, and Cypress Semiconductor, a large multi-national Silicon Valley integrated circuits manufacturer. Cypress president and CEO T. J. Rodgers, when commenting about his firm's 335 kW PowerGuard system said, "This project was entirely justifiable on economic merits alone. On-site solar PV addresses our nation's energy security by reducing our dependence on foreign energy sources and insulates us from future price volatility."

Fore more details, go to www.powerlight.com

Thu Dec 13 08:35:00 CST 2001