City of Napa Dedicates Solar Power System at Lake Hennessey Pump Station

City of Napa Dedicates Solar Power System at Lake Hennessey Pump Station

PowerLight PowerTracker(R) Deployed to Help Napa Meet Its Electricity Needs With Clean, On-site Solar Power Generation

NAPA, CA, SEPT. 29, 2006 - Today the City of Napa dedicated a major City-owned solar power system at its Lake Hennessey Pump Station. The 356kW solar power system was designed and deployed by PowerLight Corporation. At over a third of a megawatt, this solar power system is one of the largest municipal solar power systems in Northern California.

"Napa is very pleased to be harnessing the wine country's abundant sunshine by deploying solar power. Clean, emissions-free, on-site solar generation enables us to be responsible stewards of our region - improving our community's health and quality of life," said Phil Brun of the City of Napa's Public Works Department.

The City of Napa commissioned a solar power tracking system, PowerLight PowerTracker(R), to meet a portion of its electricity needs in a clean, sustainable manner. It makes use of an underutilized asset -the grounds adjacent to the pump station- to generate electricity that is clean, silent, and emissions-free. The PowerTracker solar power system features an innovative single-axis design enabling solar panels to follow the path of the sun automatically throughout the day to maximize the panels' energy generation.

"By generating solar power, Napa is reducing demand from the utility grid, lowering operating costs, and improving air quality for its community," said PowerLight executive vice president Howard Wenger. "By effectively reducing its purchases of expensive peak electricity, Napa is doing its part to address California's ongoing energy challenges. This energy solution saves money while helping the environment."

The City of Napa anticipates average savings exceeding $100,000 annually in avoided electricity purchases, with an estimated total electricity bill savings of $3.2 million over the next 25 years. Additionally, Napa's solar power generation spares the environment from tons of harmful emissions, such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and carbon dioxide, which are major contributors to smog, acid rain, and global warming. Over the expected 30-year lifetime of the system, the combined solar-generated electricity will reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by 4,200 tons. These emissions reductions are the equivalent to planting 1,170 acres of trees, removing almost 855 cars, or not driving 10.5 million miles on California's roadways.