BP Solar Donates Systems For Habitat For Humanity Homes
El Cajon, California, United States August 25, 2008

Grid Alternatives, BP Solar and Stellar Solar partner together to donate solar systems for two San Diego Habitat for Humanity homes built in partnership with the Jimmie Johnson Foundation

Special guests NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson and wife Chandra (cofounder of the Jimmie Johnson Foundation) will present the keys of homeownership to the first Habitat partner family for the Jimmie Johnson Foundation and San Diego Habitat for Humanity project in Jimmie’s hometown of El Cajon.

In an effort to utilize more “green- friendly” home building materials, San Diego Habitat for Humanity partnered with non-profit GRID Alternatives and sustainable energy companies BP Solar and Stellar Solar for two of the newest Habitat homes in El Cajon. For the two Habitat homes, each company is donating materials and other support to fulfill the “green-friendly” mission - BP Solar has contributed 20 solar panels and two home energy monitoring systems, Stellar Solar is donating labor to the installation of the systems.

For San Diego Habitat for Humanity, partnering with sustainable energy companies demonstrates the organization’s first effort toward “green building” but also provides significant financial assistance to Habitat partner families by protecting them from future utility rate increases. Peggy Mazzella, Architect for San Diego Habitat for Humanity states, “Our mission is to provide affordable homeownership however, seeing solar utilized for the first time allows us to move beyond only providing an affordable mortgage to actually decreasing the family’s monthly expenses. Incorporating solar power fulfills our wish to use sustainable materials and promote conservation of the environment while passing that value along to our homeowner and their children so they may grow up to be good stewards of the earth”.

Non-profit partner GRID Alternatives designed the donated solar electric system and oversaw the installation. "This is GRID Alternatives' first installation in the San Diego area," said GRID's Los Angeles Regional Director Susie Chang. "The project was a welcome opportunity for us to expand our work providing the benefits of renewable energy technology to communities that have typically had the least access to it. Ten of our volunteers had the opportunity to experience firsthand how they can make a difference to help improve the environment, while also providing major cost savings to a family who will really benefit."

According to Mary Shields, Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing for BP Solar, solar energy is also one of the best ways to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, lower electric bills and hedge against future utility rate increases. “We are happy to be able to provide solar electric systems, which are estimated to provide up to 70% of the families’ electric needs, to Habitat for two new homeowners. Increasing energy costs, as well as state and federal rebates and incentives, make solar electric systems an increasingly popular choice for homeowners who want to reduce their energy bills.”

BP Solar donated two 2.2kW (kilowatt) systems for the project. Each system is expected to produce an average of 245 kWh of energy each month saving the homeowners hundreds of dollars annually on their utility bills. In addition to the solar systems, BP Solar has also donated a home energy system monitor for each of the two homes which will allow the families to view their homes’ total energy usage alongside how much energy the solar systems are generating at any given time.

Stellar Solar is a leading provider of California residential and commercial solar energy solutions, helping homes and businesses go solar with the latest PV technology. "Our slogan is 'Power, Pure and Simple' and there is nothing more empowering than providing a family with a home of their own -- especially if that home uses solar power to generate nearly all of its own electricity," said Kent Harle, president and general manager of Stellar Solar. "We are very grateful to be included in this important Habitat project."

The mission of San Diego Habitat for Humanity is to make housing a matter of action and conscience as a means to erase poverty housing from our community and the world. San Diego Habitat for Humanity, Inc. is the local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. SDHFH welcomes everyone of all faiths or no faith to join the effort in strengthening families, neighborhoods and communities. Donors and volunteers are the foundation of Habitat's work in San Diego County. San Diego Habitat completed its 99th home and has more than 50 in the pipeline!

Since piloting the Solar Affordable Housing Program in 2004, Oakland, Calif.-based GRID Alternatives has installed 182 solar electric systems for low-income families throughout Northern and Southern California. These systems are reducing each family’s electric bills by approximately 75 percent, which will translate to a total of over $3.06 million in energy cost savings over the systems’ projected life spans. They will also prevent roughly 9,106 tons of greenhouse gas emissions over the next 30 years, the equivalent of planting 12,709 trees. GRID Alternatives has also trained over 1,810 community volunteers on the theory and practice of solar electric installation, and provided them with opportunities to gain hands-on experience with real-world solar installation projects. Our volunteers gain valuable skills and experience that they can bring back to their homes, businesses and communities, and help build broad-based, grassroots leadership and support for renewable energy. Our Energy Efficiency Team Program has installed energy efficiency upgrades for more than 290 low-income seniors and disabled folks. These small changes provide these households, which primarily live on fixed incomes, with approximately $38,000/year in energy savings.

BP Solar, part of BP Alternative Energy, is a global company with over 2300 employees. BP Solar designs, manufactures and markets products which use the sun's energy to generate electricity for a wide range of applications in the residential, commercial and industrial sectors. With over 30 years of experience and installations in more than 160 countries, BP Solar is one of the world's leading solar companies having 228MW annual manufacturing capacity in 2007, plus another 700MW capacity under construction. BP Solar has solar cell and module manufacturing plants in Sydney, Australia; Bangalore, India; Madrid, Spain; and Frederick, MD, USA; and module manufacturing in Xi’an, China. In Frederick it also has casting and wafering facilities. BP Solar invests more than $10m annually in photovoltaic research and development.

BP Alternative Energy, launched in November 2005, combines all of BP’s interests in low and zero-carbon energy including wind, solar, hydrogen power with carbon capture and storage, natural gas-fired power generation, biofuels for low carbon transport and distributed energy for emerging markets.

Stellar Solar is one of San Diego's most experienced PV solar energy companies, providing commercial and residential energy solutions to Southern California since 1998. The company is wholly-owned, managed and operated by three partners, who were also instrumental in launching Home Depot's national solar program in 2001, a relationship that continues today.



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