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School children visit First Light I Solar Park to kick off Earth Week - Environmental Communication Options/Huff Strategy

School children visit First Light I Solar Park to kick off Earth Week

Apr 15th, 2010 4:55 AM

Media Release School children visit First Light I Solar Park to kick off Earth Week STONE MILLS/NAPANEE, ONTARIO (April 15, 2010) - As part of their curriculum leading up to Earth Week, students from two Limestone District public schools in the Stone Mills and Napanee area visited the 9.1 MW First Light I Solar Park today. Students learned first-hand how solar photovoltaic (PV) power works, its environmental impact, and the key role that solar plays in helping to create a brighter future for Canada's next generation. First Light I is the first fully-operational, utility-scale solar park in Canada and winner of CanSIA's ground-mount "2009 Solar PV Project of the Year." About 80 students in grades 7 and 8 from the Newburgh and Selby public schools participated in the field trips, which were hosted by SunEdison, a subsidiary of MEMC Electronic Materials (NYSE: WFR), and SkyPower Limited, the two joint venture partners that developed and constructed First Light I. Also in attendance were school officials and Township of Stone Mills Reeve, Deb Thompson. After passing a field of shining solar panels, the students were guided through a variety of the park's key sites including the communications/satellite system, weather station, and lookout area. They had the opportunity to examine a de-energized panel up-close, and participate in activities that translated the 10 million kilowatt hours (kWhs) generated by First Light I into every-day terms: enough electricity to power approximately 1,000 homes in its first year of operation, the equivalent of taking almost 1,800 cars off the road, and removing 8,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. "These kids represent our future," commented Reeve Deb Thompson. "Visiting First Light puts what they're learning in school about renewable energy into context so that they can become part of a cleaner, greener tomorrow. I can't think of a better way to kick off Earth Week." "We are delighted to be a part of the Stone Mills community and this opportunity to give back to its families," stated Adam Butterfield, Project Development Manager of SunEdison who helped lead the tour. "It is heartening that some of the kids' parents actually help build First Light, and now the next generation is getting involved." Kerry Adler, President and CEO of SkyPower Limited, also underscored the importance of investing in the leaders of Canada's energy future, "Earth Week may be celebrated in April, but the environmental and economic rewards of solar are felt every day. I commend the students of Stone Mills and Napanee for their enthusiasm in learning more about Canada's movement toward green energy and being a part of generating a brighter future for generations to come." -30- Photos are available upon request. To schedule a media interview, contact: SunEdison Don Huff dhuff@ecostrategy.ca office: 416-972-7401 cell: 416-805-7720 SkyPower Limited Scott Brownrigg sbrownrigg@sussex-strategy.com office: 416-644-4927 cell: 416-277-8847 About First Light I The 9.1 megawatt (MW) project, located in Stone Mills, Ontario, was developed under a joint venture between SunEdison and SkyPower Limited and financed by Nord/LB. The system, covering 90 acres of land, approximately the size of 50 Canadian football fields, began transmitting energy to the Hydro One, the largest electricity transmission and distribution company in Ontario, on September 30, 2009. About SunEdison SunEdison is North America's largest solar energy services provider. The company finances, installs and operates distributed power plants using proven photovoltaic technologies, delivering fully managed solar energy services for its commercial, government and utility customers. For more information about SunEdison, please visit www.sunedison.ca. About SkyPower Limited SkyPower Limited is Canada's largest developer of solar energy projects. The company has an extensive pipeline of projects at various stages of development representing hundreds of megawatts of potential nameplate capacity across North America. SkyPower prospects, develops, manages, finances, owns and operates solar energy projects from initial discovery stages through to commercial operation. SkyPower helps many jurisdictions meet their increasing demand for cleaner, non-emitting renewable energy solutions. For more information about SkyPower, please visit www.skypower.com. About MEMC MEMC is a global leader in the manufacture and sale of wafers and related intermediate products to the semiconductor and solar industries. MEMC has been a pioneer in the design and development of silicon wafer technologies for 50 years. With R&D and manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe, and Asia, MEMC enables the next generation of high-performance semiconductor devices and solar cells. Through its SunEdison division, MEMC is also a developer of solar power projects and North America's largest solar energy services provider. MEMC's common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "WFR" and is included in the S&P 500 Index. For more information about MEMC, please visit www.memc.com.