CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DISTRICTS “EXPEL” RISING UTILITY BILLS WITH SOLAR ELECTRICITY Investment in RWE SCHOTT Solar PV Systems Returns Known Monthly Costs, Zeroed-Out Electricity Bills and Long-Term Savings October 3, 2005 (San Anselmo and Lemon Grove, Calif.) -- Though separated by more than 500 freeway miles and the cultures of Northern and Southern California, the Ross Valley and Lemon Grove School Districts are finding they have a lot in common when it comes to taking control of their utility bills. Working with 3rd Rock Systems & Technologies, located in Burlingame, both school districts are in the process of installing, combined more than 800 kilowatts (kW) of solar electric power across multiple schools within each district. The solar electric, or photovoltaic (PV) systems manufactured by RWE SCHOTT Solar, Inc. (RSS), will meet 85 to 95 percent or more of each school’s electrical needs. Low-cost finance options ensure each district has a known monthly payment approximately equal to each school’s current utility bill. Over time, the systems will pay for themselves freeing up funding for other student programs. Today, “cashed-strapped school” is an unfortunate, but fairly common phrase in California, and the investment of millions of dollars into solar electric systems would seem an unlikely event for most school districts. However, given the consistent, and sometimes meteoric rises in the cost of electricity, over a 15-year-time period, many districts spend millions of dollars paying utility bills with nothing to show for it except that the lights stayed on. By taking advantage of low-cost loans and incentive programs, the Ross Valley and Lemon Grove school districts recognized they could, in essence, trade a varying, unknown and increasing monthly utility bill for a fixed amount with a final payment date. By that point, the school districts will not only have kept the lights on, they will own their PV systems outright. “The biggest and most significant hurdle for solar electric systems is the up front cost. However, once you are able to look beyond short-term costs and focus on long-term benefits, investing in a renewable energy system, especially from an institution’s perspective, shifts from a capital expense to a strategy of long-term fiscal and budgetary policy,” said Vijay Israni, chief executive officer of 3rd Rock Systems & Technologies. “We believe so strongly in this market segment that we have personally helped finance some of these systems. In addition, when ever and wherever possible we do as much as we can to structure these projects as no-cash-out-of-pocket deals. It’s good for our business and good for the schools.” Project Manager for the Ross Valley School District, George Baranoff added, “3rd Rock Systems and Technologies is more than an installer of solar electric systems. They understand how to work with our school board, which by the way is very supportive of our renewable energy programs, and the whole Division of the State Architect process. Not only have they helped us lower our utility bills, they even created some specialized educational tools for our students, helping them learn first hand about clean renewable energy.” Dr. Richard Tighe, assistant superintendent business services for the Lemon Grove School District concurs, “Vijay and his team are able to develop innovative and creative packages that minimized our up-front investments while at the same time gave us an immediate reduction in our utility bills. The installation of these solar electric systems represents a natural progression for our district and our goal of coming up with new and innovative ways to save energy and safe guard our environment. Over time, we hope to have all of our schools powered by the sun.” About the Installations All of the systems use RWE SCHOTT Solar ASE 300 or SAPC 165 solar modules. Installation sizes vary from site to site, using a combination of roof or ground-mount designs in the Ross Valley School District. The installations at the Lemon Grove School District all use a ground-mount design. The recently completed installations include: Lemon Grove School District:  Palm Middle School 190 kW  Mt. Vernon School 150kW (click to view picture)  San Miguel School 190kW Ross Valley School District:  Upper Brookside School 80kW  Manor School 65kW (click to view picture)  White Hill New Admin Bldg. 50kW  White Hill Old Admin Bldg. 100kW All of the systems are connected to the grid and export electricity into the system when the amount of electricity created exceeds a school’s demand. This is particularly advantageous for schools that are closed on weekends and during the summer, enabling the meter to run backwards during these times. “Every time a school installs a PV system, it trades volatile and increasing energy costs for financial stability and long term savings. Fifteen years from now, this investment will return much needed funds to our education system as each installation is paid off,” said Marc Roper, vice president of sales and marketing for RWE SCHOTT Solar. “In addition, the strain on the electrical grid lessens each time one of these PV systems goes online, producing at its highest capacity during peak demand times. We hope to see many more PV systems powering schools throughout California and across the U.S.” About 3rd Rock Systems and Technologies, Inc. 3rd Rock Systems is an organization where like-minded individuals, who are passionate about issues, advances, and opportunities surrounding the production and consumption of Energy on our planet, come together as a team to bring the benefits of the latest technologies to the thinking consumer. It has relationships with manufacturers and financiers of Solar Photovoltaics, Fuel Cells, Hydrogen Generators, Control & Monitoring Systems Technologies. It prides itself on its ability to craft clean energy solutions that provide immediate benefits, from technologies and markets of the future. More information is available at www.3rdrock.us. ABOUT RWE SCHOTT Solar Inc. RWE SCHOTT Solar Inc. is North America’s leading manufacturer and distributor of solar power components and systems, serving customers throughout the Americas from sales offices in California, Massachusetts and the State of Washington. The company’s U.S. headquarters and manufacturing facility in Billerica, Massachusetts, produces the largest solar power module available worldwide, the ASE 300™. A pioneer in the design and development of complete solar power solutions, RWE SCHOTT Solar Inc. serves a highly diverse market including grid-connected residential and commercial systems, and grid-independent industrial, governmental and utility applications. RWE SCHOTT Solar Inc. is a subsidiary of RWE SCHOTT Solar GmbH located in Alzenau, Germany. RWE SCHOTT Solar GmbH is a joint venture of RWE Solutions, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the RWE Group, a global international multi-utility concern with core businesses in electricity, gas, water, waste management and recycling; and the SCHOTT Group, a leading international specialty glass manufacturer. The RWE and SCHOTT companies had combined sales of over $55 billion in 2002, and employ nearly 150,000 people worldwide. For more information, please visit: RWE Schott Solar Inc. -- www.rweschottsolar.com; RWE Group -- www.rwe.com/en; Schott Group -- www.us.schott.com.  - end - RWE SCHOTT Solar, Inc. Jennifer Pecha 916-625-9033 jennifer.pecha@rweschottsolar.us Bill Jeppesen 916-941-7553 bill@effectivepr.com 3rd Rock Systems & Technologies Vijay Israni 866-437-3762 v.israni@comcast.net