SILICON VALLEY, Calif., Sept. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Applied
Materials (Nasdaq: AMAT) and SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq: SPWR) today
announced completion of two SunPower solar power systems totaling 2.1
megawatts at Applied Materials' corporate facilities in Sunnyvale, Calif. The
systems represent the largest solar power deployment at a corporate facility
in the United States.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080919/AQF026)
'This is another exciting milestone in the adoption of solar power in
California,' said Mike Splinter, president and chief executive officer of
Applied Materials. 'More companies are realizing the wisdom of integrating
solar as a non-intrusive, clean, silent form of energy generation into our
businesses and communities. We've converted our parking lots to power plants
and we encourage others to join us in making solar power a meaningful part of
the energy supply.'
The system includes a 950 kilowatt SunPower PowerGuard(R) installation and
a 1.2 megawatt SunPower(R) Tracker installation atop an elevated parking
canopy. The SunPower Tracker follows the sun as it moves across the sky,
increasing sunlight capture by up to 25 percent over conventional fixed-tilt
systems. Both systems use SunPower solar panels, the most efficient panels
available on the market today. SunPower uses Applied Materials' Baccini
technology in its solar cell manufacturing process.
Since the first phase of installation in November 2007, Applied reports
that its solar installation has generated 1,413 megawatt hours of power. The
system is expected to replace more than 2,700 tons of carbon dioxide emissions
per year, which is equivalent to the annual carbon emissions from
approximately 450 passenger cars.
'Applied Materials has joined the ranks of the U.S. Department of Energy
and the U.S. Air Force in recognizing the value of solar as a mechanism for
reducing exposure to volatile electric rates and promoting energy independence
through the use of clean, renewable solar power,' said Tom Werner, chief
executive officer of SunPower.
Applied's investment is supported by the federal investment tax credit
(ITC) that encourages deployment of renewable energy systems across the U.S.
Due to expire at the end of 2008, Congress is now considering legislation to
extend the ITC.
'Congratulations to the leadership in the U.S. Senate for their efforts to
forge a bipartisan agreement on a long-term extension of the ITC,' continued
Werner.
