Dallas’ Largest Solar Facility Unveiled

Green Mountain Energy Company and Nuon Bring 594 Pollution-Free Solar Panels And One of a Kind Learning Experience to The Winston School

DALLAS, May 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Clean energy takes another step forward in Dallas today as The Winston School, Green Mountain Energy Company and Nuon teamed up to dedicate the city's largest solar facility and harness the power of the sun to generate pollution-free electricity.

The solar array, known as Green Mountain Energy(SM) Solar at The Winston School is a commercial scale 58kW solar array that is owned and operated by Nuon Renewable Ventures LLC and is located on top of The Winston School on Royal Lane in Dallas. The facility is made possible through the support of Green Mountain Energy Company's Big Texas Sun Club(TM) customers. The array takes up approximately 6,600 square feet of roof space -- larger than an
Olympic-sized swimming pool.

"The future for clean electricity just got brighter for Texans," said Gillan Taddune, Texas Region president for Green Mountain Energy Company. "Green Mountain Energy Company and our Big Texas Sun Club members are dedicated to bringing pollution-free solar electricity to the lone star state. Working with Nuon and The Winston School along with the educational aspects of
this array make this project especially rewarding."

In addition to signing up for the company's 100 percent wind power electricity, Green Mountain Energy customers in Texas can also join the Big Texas Sun Club to help construct, develop and maintain new solar facilities in Texas as well as promote statewide education about solar energy. This new solar facility is a direct result of club members' ongoing support.

Each year, this array will avoid the emission of approximately 68 tons of carbon dioxide, a major contributor to global warming. This CO2 avoidance is equivalent to not driving a car approximately 150,000 miles or roundtrip from Dallas to Houston 300 times. It would take about 9,100 trees one year to remove that much CO2 from the air.

The Winston School, a coeducational college preparatory school serving bright students who learn differently(R), will incorporate real-time data from a solar array into its curriculum. For instance, the school plans to explore the economic impact and cost savings produced by the array as energy is fed into the ERCOT grid. Today, the school will hold a "focus day" when alternative energy curriculum and experiments will be conducted in science classes from 1st through 12th grade. The Winston School also has a strong solar heritage through its Winston Science program and has hosted the only solar car race in the United States for high school students for the past six years.

"The Winston School has for ten years supported cleaner technologies through our Winston Solar Car program and innovative science through our Winston Science program. We are thrilled to further our support through this partnership with Green Mountain Energy Company and Nuon," said Dr. Pam Murfin, head of The Winston School. "The array offers huge opportunities for cross-curricular activities and student involvement. Children today and tomorrow need a clean, safe place to learn."

The facility will be owned and operated by Nuon, the largest utility company in the Netherlands. Electricity generated from the installation will be delivered to the Texas electric grid thanks to the support of Green Mountain Energy Company's Big Texas Sun Club members. Green Mountain Energy Company and Nuon are also partnering to bring an additional 43kW solar facility to Houston, Texas as well as solar facilities near Cleveland, OH and Bridgeport, CT.

"As a company dedicated to improving the environment and investing in sustainable energy technologies; Nuon is proud to participate in a project that provides clean energy and educates students and the public at large," said Matt Cheney, Chief Operating Officer of Nuon Renewable Ventures USA. "We feel that there is a bright future for projects like these in the State of Texas."

BP Solar, the world's largest manufacturer of photovoltaic equipment, was responsible for the design and installation of the solar facility. The array is made up of 594 BP Solar MSX-120 panels with a total of 42,768 individual multicrystalline solar cells.

About Green Mountain Energy Company and The Big Texas Sun Club Green Mountain Energy electricity is the leading brand of cleaner electricity in the states where Green Mountain Energy Company (https://www.greenmountainenergy.com ) does business. The company provides less-
polluting electricity generated from sources including wind, solar, water, geothermal, biomass and cleaner burning natural gas. Nearly half a million customers in seven states: California, Connecticut, New Jersey Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Texas have chosen Green Mountain Energy(SM) electricity. The Austin, Texas-based company was founded in 1997 with a mission to "change the
way power is made." Customers can find out more about the Big Texas Sun Club by visiting: https://www.greenmountain.com/sunclub.

About The Winston School
The Winston School is a coeducational college preparatory school enrolling 230 bright students who learn differently(R) in grades one through twelve. Winston serves children who exhibit learning differences in academic skills (reading, writing, math, and language) as well as attention and concentration. Winston's program is child-centered and focuses on the individual providing each student with an individualized educational plan based on comprehensive evaluations. Founded in 1975, The Winston School is accredited by the Independent School Association of the Southwest and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools.

About Nuon
Nuon is a prominent, independent, multinational oriented enterprise in the marketing, sales and distribution of energy and water, and related products. Nuon is one of the biggest investors in photovoltaic solar energy in the world, with expenditures in 2002 of greater than 30 million euros
(approximately US$27 million). Nuon has more than 500 solar power plants in the Netherlands with a total capacity of more than five megawatts supplying electricity to its "green energy" customers. In the U.S., Nuon owns and operates PVUSA, located in Davis, California and is developing new solar sites under its partnership with Green Mountain Energy.

About BP Solar
BP Solar is one of the world's largest solar electric companies with over 44 years of collective experience in the manufacture and marketing of photovoltaic (solar electric) products and systems. With nearly 20% of global market share and more than $240 million in revenues, the company operates manufacturing plants in the U.S., Spain, Australia, and India. A full service company, BP Solar manufactures, designs, markets, and installs a wide range of crystalline silicon and new generation thin film solar electric products that are well suited for residential, commercial, and industrial remote and grid-connected applications. BP Solar has product deployed in over 160 countries.

SOURCE: Green Mountain Energy Company; Nuon Renewable Ventures LLC