Coronal Energy, Powered by Panasonic, and Gulf Power Complete Largest Portfolio of Solar Installations on Department of Defense Property

The 120 MWac Gulf Coast Solar Center in Northwest Florida comprises
utility-scale solar photovoltaic systems at three Navy and Air Force
sites

PENSACOLA, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Coronal
Energy, powered by Panasonic, a leading independent power producer
(IPP) and provider of turnkey renewable energy solutions, and
Pensacola-headquartered energy provider Gulf
Power have completed the largest combined portfolio of solar
facilites on Department of Defense property to date. The 120 MWac Gulf
Coast Solar Center spans 942 acres across three Navy and Air Force sites
in Northwest Florida. Together with Air Force and Navy officials,
executives from Coronal Energy, Panasonic, and Gulf Power celebrated the
achievement today during a ceremony held at Naval Air Station (NAS)
Pensacola’s Navy Outlying Landing Field (NOLF) Saufley, which hosts the
largest of the three solar installations: a 366-acre, 50 MWac solar
generating facility.

“We work hard every day to provide our customers with valuable and
diverse energy solutions, and it’s a special occasion to see the vision
we had for this project come to life today,” said Stan Connally, Gulf
Power Chairman, President and CEO. “Adding clean, affordable energy to
our energy grid through the innovative public-private partnership that
enabled the completion of all three of the portfolio’s solar facilities
is a proud accomplishment for Gulf Power, and a significant milestone
for the local economy, our customers and the environment.”

The solar facility at NAS Pensacola’s NOLF Saufley comprises nearly
600,000 solar photovoltaic (PV) modules that will generate enough energy
to power approximately 7,400 homes in Northwest Florida annually. The
three-project portfolio, representing one of the largest combined solar
projects east of the Mississippi, also includes 40 MWac and 30 MWac
facilities at NAS Whiting Field’s NOLF Holley and the Eglin Air Force
Base Reservation spanning 336 and 240 acres, respectively. In total the
nearly 1.5 million solar panels generate enough energy to power more
than 18,000 local homes each year across Escambia, Santa Rosa, and
Okaloosa counties.

“Considering the scale of the Gulf Coast Solar Center portfolio,
collaboration between our team and the like-minded teams at the U.S. Air
Force, U.S. Navy, and Gulf Power has been an essential element of our
success in developing these projects,” said Jonathan Jaffrey, chairman
and CEO of Coronal Energy™. “The result is a landmark energy project
that represents what is possible when our nation’s military and its
leading energy companies like Gulf Power commit to renewables. We are
honored to take our place alongside these partners for this historic
project.”

Combined, the facilities have the potential to reduce carbon dioxide
emissions by more than 3.5 million tons over 25 years. This figure
equates to removing nearly 670,700 cars
from the road for one year.

“Each installation and mission throughout the Southeast is unique and it
is imperative for us [the Navy] to have the energy security and
resilience needed to support the greater Navy mission. There are eight
renewable generation projects that DON is supporting in the southeast
and today you are seeing the completion of two solar facilities in
Northwest Florida totaling 122.5 megawatt direct current,” said NAS
Pensacola Commanding Officer Capt. Christopher Martin. “We are pleased
to know these facilities will help provide clean energy to thousands of
homes across Northwest Florida.”

“The partnerships that we enjoy with the community here in Northwest
Florida are incredibly gratifying,” said NAS Whiting Field Commanding
Officer Capt. Todd Bahlau. “Today we get to observe the culmination of
two years’ worth of teamwork and dedication to a project that has
benefitted the Navy and Air Force teams, the community and the
industries involved. NAS Whiting Field is committed to being a good
neighbor to our communities, and I am thrilled to be a part of an
endeavor that helps our local residents secure a new source of renewable
energy.”

Brigadier General Evan Dertien, 96th Test Wing commander said, “The
initiatives at Eglin AFB, along with those at Saufley and Holley,
support the Department of Defense’s commitment to increasing renewable
energy and are an impressive display of how joint partnerships can have
a positive impact on energy independence. Additionally, the revenue
received for leasing the projects on Eglin lands will afford us the
opportunity to invest in energy modernization initiatives, while serving
as a model for military/community partnerships.”

The combined solar facilities contribute to the growth rate for
renewable energy jobs in Northwest Florida. Since construction began at
all three locations in November 2016, nearly 450 local laborers have
been deployed.

“We believe that economically favorable clean energy options are vital
to our nation’s economy and security,” added Jaffrey. “We look forward
to supporting the military as a trusted advisor as it pursues solar
energy initatives on bases nationwide in a mission to modernize energy
systems for reliability and resilience.”

The facilities are estimated to generate the following amounts of
electricity:

• Eglin Air Force Base Reservation: 30 MWac (or 42 MWdc) plant
  with approximately 371,000 photovoltaic panels, producing enough
  energy to power nearly 4,500 Okaloosa County homes for a year.
• NAS Pensacola’s NOLF Saufley: 50 MWac (or 65 MWdc) plant with
  approximately 600,000 photovoltaic panels, producing enough energy to
  power nearly 7,400 Escambia County homes for a year.
• NAS Whiting Field’s NOLF Holley: 40 MWac (or 52 MWdc) plant
  with approximately 475,000 photovoltaic panels, producing enough
  energy to power nearly 6,100 Santa Rosa County homes for a year.

View the Gulf Coast Solar Center portfolio in action in our highlights
video at www.coronalenergy.com.

About Coronal Energy, powered by Panasonic

Coronal Energy, powered by Panasonic, is a leading independent power
producer providing turnkey solar energy solutions tailored for diverse
enterprise customers across North America, including utilities,
corporations, and the public sector. It unites the financial strength of
a Fortune Global 500 company (#128) and Panasonic’s award-winning
history of solar innovation and sustainability leadership with the
project development, finance, engineering, construction, and asset
management experience of Coronal Energy. The result is smarter solar
that translates to smarter business for customers. The collective
experience of Coronal Energy, powered by Panasonic, includes projects in
40 states totaling 2.3 GW, with more than 3.4 GW of greenfield and
brownfield projects under construction/contract or in development. For
more information, please visit CoronalEnergy.com
and follow us on Twitter @CoronalEnergy.

About Gulf Power

Gulf Power is an investor-owned energy provider with all of its common
stock owned by Atlanta-based Southern Company. Gulf Power serves more
than 455,000 customers in eight counties throughout Northwest Florida.
The company’s mission is to safely provide exceptional customer value by
delivering reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible
electricity while strengthening our communities. Visit online at MyGulfPower.com
or on the company’s Facebook
page. News information can be found at GulfPowerNews.com.

Contacts

For further information:
For Coronal Energy
G&S
Business Communications
Christina Atkinson, 212-697-2600
[email protected]
or
For
Gulf Power
Gulf Power
Rick DelaHaya, 850-444-6433
[email protected]