Little Rock Solar Facility is first sPower project to use high-efficiency thin-film photovoltaic cell modules

SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 22, 2014 -- sPower (Sustainable Power Group), a leading renewable energy provider, announced today recently breaking ground on the 7MWdc (megawatts of direct current) Little Rock Solar Facility in Palmdale, CA. The project is expected to begin commercial operation mid-December 2014.

sPower will use First Solar, Inc Modules Plus equipment, which includes the company's photovoltaic (PV) thin film solar modules, mounting structures and wiring integration.

"We are excited about commercializing First Solar's award-winning thin-film technology with its exceptional efficiency levels," said Ryan Creamer, sPower CEO. "sPower has built a pipeline that rivals any in the industry. We take an entrepreneurial approach that seeks out projects that are not only environmentally and economically feasible, but that also move our industry and company forward. Employing new technologies is one very important way we're working towards achieving our objectives."

The Little Rock Solar Facility is the latest in the large portfolio of sPower projects that provide construction and operations jobs, as well as revenues for local governments – all the while helping to reduce carbon emissions and delivering affordable and reliable clean energy to rate payers. The solar energy generated from the project will be sold at a set price to Southern California Edison for 20 years.

"This is an ideal partnership," said Darin Green, Senior Manager, US Business Development for First Solar. "The leadership and financial strength of sPower combined with First Solar's best-in-class technology establishes the perfect environment to drive down levelized cost of electricity for solar energy customers."

When completed, the Little Rock Solar Facility is expected to generate enough clean, sustainable power to displace nearly 10,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year, which is the equivalent of greenhouse gas emissions from 22,732,428 miles per year driven by an average passenger vehicle or 3,422 tons of waste sent to the landfill. The project will provide the same amount of annual carbon sequestration as by 7,826 acres of US forests1.

About sPower: Headquartered in Salt Lake City, with offices in San Francisco and New York City, sPower is a leading independent power producer (IPP) which owns and/or operates more than 130 utility and distributed electrical generation systems across the United States. With greater than a gigawatt between construction and pipeline, sPower is actively buying renewable assets in any stage of development, as well as working to acquire operating sustainable energy projects in North America and the UK. Concurrently, sPower's land division is seeking landowner partners to develop green energy projects and landowners with existing renewables assets who can benefit from liquidating current land leases. sPower is a portfolio company of Fir Tree Partners, a leading global investment fund with more than 20 years of investing history and approximately $13 billion of capital under management.

sPower's growth (including: acquiring Tioga Energy's operating assets; merging with Fir Tree Partners-backed Silverado Power; acquiring Bosch North American operating assets; appointing SunEdison founder Jigar Shah and ex-CAISO and former Southern California Edison president Bob Foster to the sPower Board of Directors; collaborating with Camborne Capital to acquire a 7MWdc solar project in south Wales as their first joint project supporting a plan to enter the UK renewables market; expanding sPower senior management with the promotion of CFO J.I. "Chip" Everest to president; breaking ground on 9.1MWdc solar project in Suffolk County, New York; and completing construction on 34MWdc solar projects in Antelope Valley, CA;) has secured its position as a leader in the renewable energy industry since its founding in 2012. For more information, visit www.sPower.com.