Bussiness News

The solar power systems will be installed by Northwest Solar Solutions on rooftops leased from ProLogis. U.S. Bank and PGE have formed SunWay 3, LLC to own and operate the system and to secure state and federal solar tax credits to help finance the project. Construction will take place in the spring and summer of 2010.

This rooftop solar installation is ECD's second project with ProLogis and PGE. The new project will use the same type of UNI-SOLAR light weight, flexible solar laminates that were featured on the previous 1.1 megawatt rooftop project that ProLogis and PGE brought online in 2008. Taken together, the two projects produce enough energy to power approximately 388 households annually.

"We are pleased to again be working with both Energy Conversion Devices and PGE," said Drew Torbin, vice president of renewable energy for ProLogis. "Once completed, the 906,000-square-foot project will become the largest rooftop solar system in the Pacific Northwest."

Mark Morelli, ECD's president and CEO, said, "This announcement is another indication that we are gaining traction as we transition our business model to focus on large-scale, multi-rooftop projects. We have worked with ProLogis on projects in France and Spain, and we are always pleased to do repeat business with this valued customer. We look forward to completing this installation for PGE and working with ProLogis on many more projects."

Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. is the leader in building integrated and commercial rooftop photovoltaics, one of the fastest growing segments of the solar power industry. The company manufactures and sells thin-film solar laminates that convert sunlight to energy using proprietary technology. ECD's UNI-SOLAR® brand products are unique because of their flexibility, light weight, ease of installation, durability, and real-world efficiency. ECD also pioneers other alternative technologies, including a new type of nonvolatile digital memory technology that is significantly faster, less expensive, and ideal for use in a variety of applications such as cell phones, digital cameras and personal computers.

ProLogis is a leading global provider of distribution facilities, with more than 475 million square feet of industrial space (44 million square meters) in markets across North America, Europe and Asia. The company leases its industrial facilities to more than 4,400 customers, including manufacturers, retailers, transportation companies, third-party logistics providers and other enterprises with large-scale distribution needs.

Portland General Electric, headquartered in Portland, Ore., is a fully integrated electric utility that serves more than 818,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Oregon.