This solar PV array is made possible by Progress Energy’s SunSenseSM commercial solar PV program, which is designed to encourage the development of renewable energy by offering a premium price for solar power developed on commercial rooftops. In 2009, Progress Energy accepted proposals for a total of more than 2,000 kW under this program.

“We are committed to developing solar power, along with energy efficiency and state-of-the-art power plants, as part of a balanced approach to meeting our region’s growing energy demand,” said Lloyd Yates, president and chief executive officer of Progress Energy Carolinas. “Our SunSense programs and this project continue our long history of partnering with local communities, and we are proud to help advance this innovative technology.”

This solar PV array is the first in the Southeast to use First Solar’s thin-film PV technology, which allows the panels to generate electricity for longer periods during the day. It was commissioned on Dec. 30, 2009, and is expected to generate approximately 325,000 kilowatt-hours this year – roughly equal to the annual energy demand of 22 typical homes. The PV array will reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 230 tons, which is equivalent to conserving 26,000 gallons of gasoline.
The E.M. Johnson Water Treatment Plant is located at the southwest corner of Falls of the Neuse and Raven Ridge roads in Raleigh. The array is located on the roof of the plant’s “clearwell,” a large concrete structure that stores clean water before it is sent to be used by city residents. Carolina Solar Energy has a 20-year lease with the city, and the city has an option to buy the solar array in the future. No city capital investment was required for the project.

“The City of Raleigh is aggressively pursuing every possibility in the realm of sustainability,” said Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker. “Bringing all of these local elements together to this rooftop is producing not only kilowatt energy but enthusiasm and creative energy for what all we can do next.”
The city and Progress Energy Carolinas, which is headquartered in Raleigh, have already partnered on several “green” initiatives. These include installing energy-efficient LED streetlights, preparing the city for electric vehicles through the NC Get Ready project and announcing a 1.2-megawatt solar PV array to be built at the Neuse River Waste Water Treatment Plant.

This is the third solar project that Carolina Solar Energy has developed with Progress Energy. The other two solar PV arrays are a 75-kW array at the RBC Center in Raleigh and a 650-kW array in Person County. Both are in operation.

“We believe consumer demand for green power will quickly outpace supply in our state,” said Carolina Solar Energy founder Richard Harkrader. “One of our goals with this highly-visible project is to show that solar power isn’t just for people in California and Arizona; it’s feasible on a large scale here in North Carolina.”

About Carolina Solar Energy
Carolina Solar Energy, LLC was founded in 2004 and develops solar PV projects 100 kW and larger. CSE provides design, financing, construction and operation management to a diverse customer base of commercial, nonprofit, utility and government clients. For more information about Carolina Solar Energy, visit the company’s Web site at www.carolinasolarenergy.com.

About Progress Energy
Progress Energy (NYSE: PGN), headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., is a Fortune 500 energy company with more than 22,000 megawatts of generation capacity and $9 billion in annual revenues. Progress Energy includes two major electric utilities that serve approximately 3.1 million customers in the Carolinas and Florida. The company has earned the Edison Electric Institute’s Edison Award, the industry’s highest honor, in recognition of its operational excellence, and was the first utility to receive the prestigious J.D. Power and Associates Founder’s Award for customer service. The company is pursuing a balanced strategy for a secure energy future, which includes aggressive energy-efficiency programs, investments in renewable energy technologies and a state-of-the-art electricity system.  Progress Energy celebrated a century of service in 2008. Visit the company’s Web site at www.progress-energy.com.

About the City of Raleigh:
The City of Raleigh provides the complete range of governmental services including police and fire protection, transportation services such as transit and street construction and maintenance, a comprehensive solid waste and recycling program and a vast array of environmental services, water and sanitary sewer services, parks, recreation and cultural services that make Raleigh ubiquitous among  America’s “best cities” lists. Raleigh Public Utilities Department not only serves Raleigh with water and sewer service but also the Towns of Garner, Rolesville, Wake Forest, Knightdale, Wendell and Zebulon.

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Media Contacts:

Progress Energy: 877-641-6397

Carolina Solar Energy: 919-682-6822

City of Raleigh: 919-996-3100

Carolina Solar Energy proposed this latest PV solar project in response to Progress Energy’s request for renewable energy proposals issued in 2008. Project financing was secured through a tax advantaged lease from BB&T Equipment Finance Corporation.

“Photovoltaic solar technology has come a long way in the past few decades and there is no longer any doubt that solar power is becoming a viable investment in North Carolina, and will only improve as more projects are deployed driving prices even lower,” said Richard Harkrader, CEO of Carolina Solar Energy, LLC.

About Carolina Solar Energy
Carolina Solar Energy, LLC was founded in 2004 and develops solar PV projects 100 kW and larger. CSE provides design, financing, construction and operation management to a diverse customer base of commercial, non-profit, utility and government clients. For more information about Carolina Solar Energy, visit the company’s web site at www.carolinasolarenergy.com.
About Progress Energy
Progress Energy (NYSE: PGN), headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., is a Fortune 500 energy company with more than 21,000 megawatts of generation capacity and $9 billion in annual revenues. Progress Energy includes two major electric utilities that serve approximately 3.1 million customers in the Carolinas and Florida. The company has earned the Edison Electric Institute’s Edison Award, the industry’s highest honor, in recognition of its operational excellence, and was the first utility to receive the prestigious J.D. Power and Associates Founder’s Award for customer service. The company is pursuing a balanced strategy for a secure energy future, which includes aggressive energy-efficiency programs, investments in renewable energy technologies and a state-of-the-art electricity system. Progress Energy celebrated a century of service in 2008. Visit the company’s Web site at www.progress-energy.com.

About BB&T
BB&T Equipment Finance Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Branch Banking and Trust Company, the banking subsidiary of Winston-Salem, N.C.-based BB&T Corporation (NYSE: BBT).
BB&T Corporation and its subsidiaries offer full-service commercial and retail banking and additional financial services such as insurance, investments, retail brokerage, corporate finance, consumer finance, payment services, international banking, leasing and trust. Visit the company’s web site at www.BBandT.com.

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Media Contacts: 
Carolina Solar Energy – 919-682-6822
Progress Energy – 24-hour Media Line 877-641-6397
* Follow Progress Energy on Twitter: @progressenergy
Carolina Solar Energy 
400 W. Main St, Suite 503, Durham, NC 27701
919-682-6822

The Pioneering Efforts Award is given to an individual or organization that has demonstrated pioneering efforts in any environmental area. The award recipient this year is:

Carolina Solar Energy for its North Carolina State University Photovoltaic Solar Generator – The 75 kilowatt solar generator was the largest solar photovoltaic system in North Carolina when it was inaugurated and it is still the largest solar photovoltaic project at any university in North Carolina. The system consists of 432 ground-mounted solar panels apportioned in six arrays. The power it generates is sold to Progress Energy.

The awards program recognizes individuals or organizations that have demonstrated a commitment to protecting or improving the environment. The award winners were chosen based upon quantifiable results that positively affect the environment.

The trophies given to the winners were prepared by Bill Wallace of New Light Wood Works in Wake Forest. The maple trophies were created from a tree that was taken down near Cameron Village and the oak bottom was turned from a beam reclaimed from a local building that was demolished

April 23, 2009

With the throw of a switch, April 18, the North Carolina Zoo will house the state’s largest PV Solar Power project contracted by NC GreenPower.

Partnering with Carolina Solar Energy (CSE) and Randolph Electric Membership Corporation (REMC), the zoo will have in operation a 104 kilowatt, 9,600 square-foot grid-tied, photovoltaic solar system mounted on three picnic pavilions.

The annual power production is projected to be 130,000 kilowatt hours per year, which is the energy used by 11-13 average homes in North Carolina.

The Solar Pointe picnic pavilions will provide covered catering space for the zoo and are a gift in kind from CSE with contributions from the N.C. Zoo Society. The zoo, in turn, is leasing the roofs of the pavilions to CSE for the solar power system.

CSE sells the electricity generated to REMC and receives a subsidy from NC GreenPower to make the project economically feasible.

The Solar Pointe is located near the zoo’s North American Entrance and will be viewed by the zoo’s 750,000 annual visitors, including more than 10,000 school children. Educational graphics include a monitor with direct connection to a web site that shows live readout of the actual energy being generated and the pollution being avoided. School groups and the general public can view the information on-site or online.

“The NC Zoo is pleased to partner with Carolina Solar Energy and Randolph EMC on this innovative addition to the zoo’s green projects,” said Director David Jones.

“I believe consumer demand for green power will quickly outpace supply in our state,” said CSE owner Richard Harkrader. – One of our goals with this project’s to show that solar power is not just for people in California and Nevada; it’s feasible on a large scale right here in North Carolina today.”

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Contact:
Gerry Dudzik, COO
Carolina Solar Energy, LLC
gtdudzik@carolinasolarenergy.com

Solar power pioneer Richard Harkrader, owner of Durham-based Carolina Solar Energy, has waited three years for this day.

After many lessons learned, the solar project his company began in 2004 is finally up and running on NC State’s campus next to the RBC Center in Raleigh, making it the largest privately financed solar photovoltaic (PV) array in North Carolina.

The 75.6 kilowatts (KW) system comprised of 432, ground-mounted solar panels was turned on Monday, Oct. 29. The power it generates is sold to Progress Energy.

“I believe consumer demand for green power will quickly outpace supply in our state, one of our goals with this project and our next, which is even bigger, is to show that solar power isn’t just for people in California and Nevada- it is feasible on a large scale right here in North Carolina today” said Harkrader.

Until now, the Tarheel State’s primary investors in solar power have been homeowners, environmentalists, and a smattering of green-niche companies and large corporations.
“The largest private solar pv systems in the past have typically been in the 10- to 30-kW range,” said Bob Kingery, co-owner of Southern Energy management, which collaborated in the design and installation of the system.

Thanks to a combination of factors – including federal and state tax incentives, the demand created by NC GreenPower, and the NC Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (REPS) legislation passed earlier this year – a real market transformation for renewable energy is happening in North Carolina.

“We’ve seen the demand for large solar systems grow rapidly over the past few years,” Kingery, said. “That growth is not only helping add to our state’s supply of clean energy, but it’s also creating jobs and strengthening our local economy.

“Steve Kalland, director of the N.C. Solar Center and a member of the NC GreenPower Board of Directors, couldn’t agree more. “At NC GreenPower, our mission is to supplement the state’s existing power supply with green energy, so we are certainly looking forward to more projects of this scale.”
“Photovoltaic solar technology has come a long way in the past few decades, and prices are dropping. But the NC GreenPower Program, the state and federal tax credits and the REPS are critical to the success of large-scale green energy in our state,” Harkrader said. “The technology is mature and prices are falling. There is now no doubt solar power is becoming a viable investment in North Carolina, and will improve the more large projects we build.”

“Our state is lucky to have an extremely dedicated sustainable community that has been pushing the envelope for years to educate people and make clean energy feasible.”

With demand for renewable energy increasing, CSE is working to install several 100-kW systems across the state at businesses, schools, shopping centers and government facilities interested in hosting solar arrays. Its next project, a 104-kW roof-mounted system, at the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro will be completed in November. It will not only become the largest active solar PV system in NC, but also will be one of the largest systems in the entire Southeast.

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NCSU Solar Project, by the numbers

Equipment – 432 SolarWorld, 175 Watt solar panels, Satcon 75KW three phase inverter
Annual electricity generation – 95,000 KW hours sufficient for 8-10 average NC homes.
Project cost – $605,000.
Annual emissions avoided – Avoids burning approximately 80,000 pounds of coal, 200,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, 625 pounds of sulfur dioxide and 250 pounds of nitrogen oxide. (source NC Greenpower emission calculator) 
NCSU Solar Project Partners

Carolina Solar Energy, LLC – The project developer has 33 years of experience building, financing and developing solar and real estate projects. CSE develops solar PV projects 75 KW and larger. – www.carolinasolarenergy* Southern Energy Management – Design collaboration, construction and installation.
NC Solar Center – Operated by the College of Engineering, NC State University, the NC Solar Center assisted in design, permits and public education. Created in 1988, the North Carolina Solar Center serves is a clearinghouse for solar and renewable energy programs, information, research, technical assistance, and training. – www.ncsc.ncsu.edu
SunEdison – Business advisor and supplier of solar equipment. – www.sunedison.com
King Brothers Electric – Electrical interconnection to Progress Energy grid.
Bishop Construction – Foundations and site work.
Progress Energy – Purchaser of the electricity.
NC GreenPower – Purchaser of the renewable energy certificates (RECs).
BB&T Equipment Finance Corp. – Project financing.

Contacts

Richard Harkrader, Owner/Manager Carolina Solar Energy, LLC, 919-489-1656, rharkrader@mindspring.com


Steve Kalland, NC Solar Center, 919-513-1896, Steve_Kalland@ncsu.edu