Edisun Microgrids and West Hills Construction Announce 20 MW Solar Pipeline Partnership

First project – more than 2,900 trackers atop a 368,000 square
foot Chiquita Brands International location – is world’s largest rooftop
solar tracker installation

PASADENA, Calif. & CORONA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#EdisunMicrogrids—Edisun
Microgrids, Inc. (Edisun), a solar technology company created at
leading technology incubator Idealab, and West
Hills Construction, Inc. (West Hills), a fourth-generation family
owned design/build general construction firm, today
announced a strategic partnership to develop up to 20 MW of commercial
and industrial rooftop solar projects utilizing Edisun’s rooftop
tracking technology, PV Booster™. The first project developed
under this partnership is a 1.0 MW solar array installed on 368,000
square feet of a 528,000 square foot cold storage industrial
building in Oxnard, Calif. The project utilizes more than 2,900
trackers, making it the world’s largest rooftop tracker installation.
This installation is financed and owned by Harry
Ross Industries (HRI), the owner of the building. The solar power
generated by the PV Booster installation will benefit HRI’s tenant, Chiquita
Brands International (Chiquita).

Solar provides significant economic benefit to commercial and industrial
(C&I) building owners by leveraging a property’s roof to increase net
operating income, while, in many states like California, also avoiding
an incremental increase in property tax. PV Booster is the only
dual-axis rooftop solar tracker specifically designed to meet the needs
of C&I building owners and solar developers. By tracking the sun
throughout the day, PV Booster increases energy production by 30 percent
and enhances project economics by 20 percent when compared to
conventional fixed-tilt installations. In addition, PV Booster’s safe,
reliable operation over the lifetime of the system significantly
accelerates return on investment.

“The West Hills team is dedicated to finding and implementing
technologies that meet our impeccable standards for craftsmanship while
improving our customers’ bottom lines,” said Rusty Wood, vice president,
West Hills Construction, Inc. “Over the last decade we have explored
numerous solutions that promise to optimize rooftop solar at the
commercial and industrial scale. PV Booster is the only technology
actually able to accomplish this objective, and we’re excited to share
it with our customers.”

“We are longtime supporters of solar energy, both for its environmental
and economic benefits,” said Robert Ross, managing partner, Harry Ross
Industries. “The addition of PV Booster technology to our Oxnard
facility made sense for a number of reasons, in particular because it
required less investment to get the same output as a stationary system.
It’s also vitally important to HRI that we provide the most
environmentally friendly facilities to our tenants. We are confident
that we’ve accomplished this mission by deploying Edisun’s cutting edge
technology.”

“From responsible water management to the adoption of renewable energy,
environmental stewardship has been a key pillar of the Chiquita business
for decades,” said Andrew Biles, president and chief executive officer,
Chiquita Brands International. “Going solar at our Oxnard facility helps
us directly achieve our corporate sustainability goals, and meaningfully
strengthens our leadership position among environmentally conscious
global organizations.”

PV Booster is the first and only rooftop solar tracker to meet the needs
of C&I building owners and solar developers. Its breakthrough innovation
is that it solves many challenges that historically prevented trackers
from being deployed on C&I rooftops, including, most importantly, the
wind. Through its unique, low profile, high strength design, PV Booster
renders the wind a non-issue. The product features flexible layout
design options, minimal weight per square foot, and fast and easy
installation and operations and maintenance, while also meeting strict
safety standards.

“Partnering with a visionary company such as West Hills, which has built
more than 10 million square feet of real estate and is an expert in
construction and solar installation, is the first of many exciting
growth milestones for Edisun,” said Bill Gross, chief executive officer,
Edisun Microgrids, Inc. and founder, Idealab. “PV Booster’s technology
fundamentally improves the economics of rooftop solar for developers,
installers, building owners, and tenants, which aligns with our core
mission to revolutionize the economics of solar. We believe this
increase in the value of solar projects, such as Chiquita’s Oxnard
installation, will be the catalyst for the widespread adoption of solar
in the C&I sector.”

About Edisun Microgrids, Inc.
Edisun Microgrids, Inc. is a
solar technology company that develops patented, distributed solar and
energy storage technologies to meet the needs of the fast-changing
energy sector. The company’s flagship product, PV Booster™, is the only
dual-axis rooftop solar tracker specifically designed to meet the needs
of C&I building owners and solar developers. Edisun was created at
leading technology incubator Idealab.
To learn more, please visit www.edisun.com
and follow us on Twitter @EdisunSolar

About West Hills Construction, Inc.
West Hills Construction,
Inc., is a General Contracting firm dedicated to the perfection of
workmanship on behalf of its clients. The company, its reputation and
client list have grown steadily over the past 42 years as a result of
consistent achievements in delivering well-designed and well-constructed
projects. Over the past four decades, West Hills has built office
buildings, warehouses, distribution centers, commercial developments,
medical facilities, water/ wastewater treatment plants, restaurants,
retail stores, and high end residential projects throughout the Southern
California area. West Hills Construction, Inc. also has one of the
fastest growing Energy Divisions in the country, capable of delivering
Photovoltaic Systems, Cogeneration Technologies, Wind Turbine Systems,
Hybrid A/C Systems, and other cost saving technologies.

Contacts

For Edisun Microgrids, Inc.:
Antenna Group
Kimberly
(Setliff) Barnes, 415.977.1942
[email protected]
or
For
West Hills Construction, Inc.:
Rusty Wood, 800.515.5270
[email protected]