Project marks initial step in solar power market BALTIMORE, Aug. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Constellation Energy (NYSE:CEG) today announced that its subsidiary, Constellation Energy Projects & Services Group (CEPS), has constructed and will own and operate a new photovoltaic solar power system in California, marking CEPS' initial step in the solar power market. Constellation Energy Projects & Services constructed the solar photovoltaic system in partnership with leading aluminum manufacturer Alcoa and DEERS, owner of the patent pending solar rooftop attachment design. The new system -- a 588,000-watt, roof-mounted photovoltaic solar power system -- began operating this week at the Alcoa Building and Construction Systems' Kawneer manufacturing facility in Visalia, Calif. As part of this project, Constellation Energy Projects & Services will own the energy assets and will sell the electricity it generates on site back to Alcoa. "Stabilizing energy prices is becoming a business imperative for forward- looking companies such as Alcoa, and we are pleased to be a partner on this project," said Gregory Jarosinski, president of Constellation Energy Projects & Services. "We clearly recognize the value of renewable energy sources such as solar power and are currently working on a number of similar solar photovoltaic projects. With CEPS owning and operating an on-site renewable energy system, we can offer customers stable long-term energy prices, while also supporting the growth of zero-emission sources of energy." "Alcoa is pleased to have another leading Fortune 500 company as the prime contractor and long term partner for implementing this sustainable energy solution," said David Schlendorf, president, Alcoa Building and Construction Systems. The power generated by more than 4,300 UNI-SOLAR(R) solar panels will provide approximately 80 percent of the 200,000-square-foot facility's electricity needs, during periods when demand on the electricity grid is greatest. In addition to the solar panels, more than 200 solar light tubes were installed to supplement the artificial lighting in the facility with day lighting. Constellation Energy Projects & Services is currently developing and constructing several solar photovoltaic projects -- similar to the size and scope of the Alcoa project -- in the United States.
