Vis Solis, German Energy Agency Dedicate First U.S. Solar Project with International, State and Oak Ridge Leaders

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1 Vis Solis, German Energy Agency Dedicate First U.S. Solar Project with International, State and Oak Ridge Leaders April 25, 2013 Updated: April 29, 2013 Prepared by: Piper Communications

2 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 25, 2013 Vis Solis, German Energy Agency Dedicate First U.S. Solar Project with International, State and Oak Ridge Leaders East Tennessee site selected as first U.S. project for German program designed to deploy innovative solar technology and expand global solar markets Contacts: Cortney Piper, communications.com, Tim Hayes, Vis Solis, OAK RIDGE, Tenn. Tennessee solar energy developer Vis Solis, Inc. and the German Energy Agency (dena), dedicated its first United States solar project today with the Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Christoph Sander, TDEC Commissioner Bob Martineau and Mayor Tom Beehan at the Heritage Center in Oak Ridge. The project was developed in conjunction with dena and Germany s leading solar and dual- axis, maximum light detection tracking systems manufacturer, DEGERenergie. We are pleased to welcome such an innovative solar project and international partnership to Oak Ridge, a city with a rich history in energy innovation and leadership, said Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan. This solar project further boosts Oak Ridge s reputation as a cutting edge science and technology hub that s open for business. Seven ground- mounted trackers, standing 20 feet in the air, with 28/30 solar panels on each tracker make up the 50 kilowatt photovoltaic solar array installed on the former duct bank at the acre Heritage Center industrial park owned by the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee (CROET). The innovative, maximum light detection technology from DEGERenergie will produce an estimated 40 percent more energy than a traditional ground mounted system or approximately 91,000 kilowatt hours a year. Vis Solis is using solar energy to turn an otherwise unusable empty plot of land into an income producing asset for our investors and the community, said Carlos Mayer, CEO of Vis Solis. Vis Solis oversees the complete engineering, procurement, financing, operation and design of investor- owned solar photovoltaic power plants. The duct bank is a small area of the Heritage Center that is not suitable for excessive and deep digging that is typical for a traditional construction project, making it ideal for a solar installation. The Heritage Center solar installation in Oak Ridge, Tennessee is the first U.S. partnership in dena s Solar Roofs Program portfolio. Since 2004, dena has taken 2

3 part in over 40 solar projects across the globe to bring together rising international interest in German solar technology and help expand global solar markets. The selection of Oak Ridge as first American/German Solar location has brought the highest attention to the project: the plurality of stakeholders in the energy sector together with the devotion to move things as well as the business environment with its possibilities to exchange know how are outstanding and so makes it a perfect location for the dena- Solar Roofs Program, said Jörg Polzer, Head of Renewable Energies, German Energy Agency (dena). This project is part of the worldwide dena Solar Roofs Program coordinated by Deutsche Energie- Agentur GmbH (DENA) - the German Energy Agency - and co- financed by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) within the initiative, renewables Made in Germany. Our department is pleased to support and encourage brownfield reuse like this solar installation project at the Heritage Center, said Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau. The option of brownfield redevelopment made it possible for sound science, innovative technology and creative partnerships to restore this site for a productive use that benefits the community, while contributing to Tennessee s clean energy portfolio. The Heritage Center Industrial Park is a large industrial complex spawned from the Manhattan Project. This facility was formerly known as the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant (or K- 25) and served as a uranium enrichment facility. The site currently serves as the center of the U.S. Department of Energy s (DOE) environmental restoration and waste management activities. In 1996, a Reindustrialization program was launched by DOE and the Oak Ridge community that focused on the reuse of DOE s former research and development facilities. The electricity generated from the solar arrays will go directly to the TVA grid. Vis Solis will sell the electricity to TVA under a 20 year Power Purchase Agreement. The arrays will generate about 91,000 kilowatt hours a year, the equivalent annual energy consumption of about eight average American homes. About Vis Solis Vis Solis, Inc. is located in Franklin, Tenn. and is a subsidiary of Vis Solis GmbH in Breesen, Germany. Vis Solis GmbH was formed in 2009 and Vis Solis, Inc. in 2010 to finance, design, build and operate world- class electric generating systems. Vis Solis, Latin for the power of the Sun has strong experience providing state- of- the- art energy systems for roof- mounted and ground- mounted photovoltaic applications, including large- scale systems built on landfills, former military facilities and other redevelopment sites. The company has completed more than 40 megawatts of solar photovoltaic power plants in Europe and North America and has another 20 megawatts in progress. To date, Vis Solis has completed projects with a total value 3

4 exceeding U.S. $100 million. For more information on Vis Solis, Inc. and distributed solar power, visit solis.us About dena The Deutsche Energie- Agentur GmbH (dena) - the German Energy Agency - is the centre of expertise for energy efficiency, renewable energy sources and intelligent energy systems. dena's aim is to ensure that energy is used in both a national and international context as efficiently, safely and economically as possible with the least possible impact on climate. dena is working with stakeholders from the worlds of politics and business and from society at large to achieve this aim. Shareholders in dena are the Federal Republic of Germany, KfW Bankengruppe, Allianz SE, Deutsche Bank AG and DZ BANK AG. renewables - Made in Germany The initiative "renewables - Made in Germany" was launched by the German Parliament in 2002 and is run by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. The main objective is to contribute to climate protection by stimulating the acceptance and use of renewable energy around the world. By showcasing Germany's technical expertise in the field of renewable energy and by organizing business trips to and from Germany, the export initiative facilitates business contacts between companies in Germany and abroad. The platform made- in- germany.com provides information about German renewable energy technologies and contact data of German suppliers. About the dena Solar Roofs Program The dena Solar Roofs Program was developed by the Deutsche Energie- Agentur GmbH (dena) the German Energy Agency. Launched in 2004, this program, co- financed by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, supports German solar energy companies entering new markets. Within the framework of the program reference and demonstration projects are installed on the roofs of designated institutions in different countries around the world. The installation is accompanied by comprehensive marketing and training programs. These beacon projects impressively present high- quality solar technology Made in Germany. ### 4

5 Sun Shines on Oak Ridge solar project By: Bob Fowler April 25, 2013 OAK RIDGE He was just starting his remarks about a new high- tech solar array on a former uranium enrichment site when a whirr of machinery caused him to pause. Bob Martineau, Tennessee s Commissioner of Environment and Conservation, glanced behind and above him to see a massive solar panel slowly changing position. It s shifting. The sun s moving, a smiling Martineau said of the gear, designed to track the sun s path from east to west. The occasion was the dedication Thursday of the solar project at Heritage Center, the new name for the former K- 25 uranium enrichment site, which has been converted into an industrial park. Local and state officials joined with representatives from Germany and a Tennessee solar energy developer to dedicate the first solar project of its kind in the U.S. It s a public- private partnership between Germany, the Tennessee company with its roots there, and the U.S. This is demonstrating what the future can be, Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan said. Seven ground- mounted trackers, each 20 feet tall, are now producing power from sunlight on an eight- acre tract of brownfield that a company called Vis Solis, Inc., (Latin for the power of the sun ) is leasing. The electricity produced by the units some 91,000 kilowatt hours a year, or enough to power eight typical homes flows directly into TVA s power grid. TVA buys the power from Vis Solis through a 20- year purchase agreement, and the landowner Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee gets 3 percent of those proceeds. The project cost between $250,000 and $300,000, said Vis Solis CEO Carlos Mayer. That subsidiary of a German company is based in Franklin, Tenn., and has been involved in solar projects from Memphis to New Tazewell, Mayer said. 5

6 Vis Solis designed, financed, owns and operates the array, located on land deemed unsuitable for excavation and typical industrial building construction. The solar project, Martineau said, takes a historically contaminated property and not only restores it to a productive use but a progressive and forward- thinkinguse for the future. The Oak Ridge project was developed in conjunction with the German Energy Agency and DEGERenergie, a German firm that makes the solar tracking system. It s something the German government is committed to, said Cristoph Sander, Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany. Also posted on: 6

7 Solar energy system dedicated at Heritage Center in Oak Ridge Watch video at: energy- system- dedicated- at- heritage- center- i/ Also posted on: 7

8 Solar company, German Energy Agency dedicate first U.S. solar project By: John Huotari April 25, 2013 A Tennessee solar company and the German Energy Agency, or dena, celebratedtheir first U.S. solar project today, a 50 kilowatt photovoltaic solar array at Heritage Center in west Oak Ridge. The array includes seven ground- mounted trackers that are 20 feet high. They each include solar panels. The trackers adjust themselves to capture the most sunlight, adjusting from east to west and tilting up and down. It s a public- private partnership involving dena and Vis Solis LLC of Franklin, Tenn., a subsidiary of Vis Solis GmbH in Breesen, Germany. Also involved is German manufacturer DEGERenergie. The array is built on land not suitable for deep digging and leased from the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee at Heritage Center, the former K- 25 site. Installation work started last December, and the array was connected to the Tennessee Valley Authority s electrical grid earlier this month. The solar panels will produce an estimated 40 percent more energy than a traditional ground- mounted system or about 91,000 kilowatt- hours a year, a press release said. That s equal to the annual energy consumption of about eight average American homes. The installation at Heritage Center is the first U.S. partnership in dena s Solar Roofs Program portfolio, the press release said. Since 2004, dena has taken part in more than 40 solar projects across the globe to bring together rising international interest in German solar technology and help expand global solar markets. 8

9 Vis Solis has worked on other rooftop and ground- based solar projects across Tennessee that are capable of producing a total of four megawatts, and the company also has another six megawatts worth of projects in Arizona. Local and state officials joined business executives and German officials at a Thursday ribbon- cutting ceremony for a 50 kilowatt photovoltaic solar array at Heritage Center. company- german- energy- agency- dedicate- first- u- s- solar- project/ Also posted on: 9

10 New solar panels dedicated in Oak Ridge April 25, 2013 Oak Ridge is home to some of the latest solar technology. The Heritage Center in Oak Ridge dedicated several new solar panels Thursday afternoon. Officials say it's some of the most innovative solar technology in the world because of the technology it uses. They also say it's something that's gaining more importance as primary resources like oil and coal become more scarce. "Solar is the most abundant energy resource worldwide. We have to use solar in the long run," said Vis Solis CEO Carlos Mayer. The panels stand 20 feet tall and will supply power for several houses in the area. solar- panels- dedicated- in- Oak- Ridge 10

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12 German Energy Agency completes first US project with Vis Solis By: Maria Alexopoulou April 26, 2013 Solar energy developer Vis Solis and the German Energy Agency (DENA) have jointly completed DENA's first US solar project, in Oak Ridge in Tennessee. The 50kW Heritage Centre solar installation is the first to be built in the US under DENA's 'solar roofs' programme, which is aimed at opening up foreign markets for German solar technology. The two organisations constructed the project in collaboration with dual- axis tracking systems manufacturer DEGEREnergie. The PV solar array occupies acre and it is installed on the former duct bank of the Heritage Centre industrial parkm, which is owned by the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee (CROET). The use of DEGEREnergie s light detection technology will help to produce about 91,000kWh annually, which is 40% more generated energy than a traditional ground mounted system. The Mayor of Oak Ridge, Tom Beehan, said: We are pleased to welcome such an innovative solar project and international partnership to Oak Ridge, a city with a rich history in energy innovation and leadership. This solar project further boosts Oak Ridge s reputation as a cutting edge science and technology hub that s open for business. Carlos Mayer, Vis Solis CEO said: Vis Solis is using solar energy to turn an otherwise unusable empty plot of land into an income producing asset for our investors and the community. Vis Solis offered EPC services as well as financial support. Jörg Polzer, head of renewable energies at DENA said: The selection of Oak Ridge as the first American/German Solar location has brought the highest attention to the project: the plurality of stakeholders in the energy sector together with the devotion to move things as well as the business environment with its possibilities to exchange knowhow are outstanding. 12

13 The project has received financial support from the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. The electricity produced from the solar arrays will be connected to the TVA grid. TVA will purchase the electricity under a 20- year power purchase agreement. tech.org/news/vis_solis_and_german_energy_agency_to_build_its_first_tennessee_he ritage_ce 13

14 Will appear in the next issue of: DOE Public Involvement News Story was covered on the 6pm and 11pm news. Piper Communications has a copy of the video and it will be uploaded to Vis Solis YouTube page. Confirmed print of the story will appear this week. 14

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