Innovative Solar Plus Sharp SmartStorage® Microgrids Installed in Santa Rita Union School District

Systems to provide grid outage protection and electricity savings at
six schools

SALINAS, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#energystorage—Generate
Capital, MBL-energy, and Sharp
Electronics CorporationÔÇÖs Energy Systems and Services Group (Sharp)
announced today that the solar PV plus SmartStorage® energy
storage systems have been installed at six sites within the Santa
Rita Union School District (SRUSD) in Salinas, California. The
systems will provide up to seven hours of power at each school during a
grid outage and will also offset the schoolÔÇÖs energy and demand usage
resulting in substantial savings on its utility bills. These innovative
multi-campus systems will enable the schools to support the local
Salinas community as Powered Emergency Response Centers in the event of
disasters that cause prolonged outages.

The innovative project was envisioned by EcoMotion (an SRUSD
consultant), developed by SolEd Benefit Corporation, engineered by Sharp
and Black
& Veatch, constructed and structurally engineered by MBL-energy,
and financed by Generate Capital.

ÔÇ£The Santa Rita Union School District project creates a blueprint for
schools, universities, hospitals, and other government and commercial
facilities that need critical power availability during a grid outage,
but also want to see utility bill savings during normal operations,ÔÇØ
said Carl Mansfield, General Manager of SharpÔÇÖs U.S. based Energy
Systems and Services Group. ÔÇ£These solar PV plus Sharp SmartStorage┬«
systems are delivering both resilience and savings while also providing
clean, renewable energy that doesnÔÇÖt harm the environment.ÔÇØ

In total, the systems include one megawatt of solar PV that is
integrated with 1.1 MWh of SharpÔÇÖs SmartStorage┬« behind-the-meter
energy storage systems. In addition to the savings on expensive
utility bills, the systems will also provide for the ability to regain
power during a blackout as well as provide clean renewable energy.

The Santa Rita Union School District recently hosted a ribbon-cutting at
the site facilitated by its consultant, EcoMotion. EcoMotion envisioned
the project as a means of getting SRUSD the resiliency that it sought by
combining batteries with ubiquitous solar power.

"California school districts face extremely challenging budgeting
situations and any reduction in operational expenses can directly
translate into money for teachers, books, or supplies," said Dr. Shelly
Morr, superintendent of SRUSD. "It is also important for our community
that schools aren't impacted by events such as power outages as this
disrupts not just the school day, but parents having to leave work early
or scramble to make other arrangements for their children. We're excited
to see these clean energy systems implemented on our school campuses."

Generate Capital is a leading capital partner for solar-plus-storage
innovators in the United States. With one of the largest
behind-the-meter energy storage portfolios in North America, Generate
Capital partners with project developers, technology vendors, and
solution providers to build money-saving, environmentally beneficial
infrastructure.

SharpÔÇÖs intelligent energy storage solution pairs with solar
PV systems to work synergistically, reducing utility costs by pulling
power from the SmartStorage® batteries rather than from the utility at
the times of highest demand, an operation that is particularly
well-suited for facilities where utility bills are often one of the
highest expenses. In the case of a grid outage, SharpÔÇÖs software will
then enable the transition to microgrid
operation with only modest disruption to school operations. This
capability helps shield the district from grid outages caused by rolling
blackouts, brownouts, or severe weather events and minimizes disruptions
to the school day for students, parents, and faculty.

About Generate Capital

Generate Capital, based in San Francisco, California, is a leading
financier, owner and operator of distributed energy and resource
infrastructure. With a permanent capital base, flexibility to meet a
range of needs, and deep domain expertise in technology, energy and
resource sectors, Generate partners with the innovative companies and
project developers who are leading the Resource Revolution, building
infrastructure that does more with less of our critical natural
resources such as energy, water, food and materials. For more
information on Generate Capital, please visit: www.generatecapital.com.

About Sharp Electronics CorporationÔÇÖs Energy Systems and Services
Group

Sharp Electronics Corporation (SEC) is the U.S. division of Sharp
Corporation, a worldwide developer and manufacturer of one-of-a-kind
premium technology products. SECÔÇÖs Energy Systems and Services Group
(ESSG) focuses on developing innovative energy management products for
the U.S. market. ESSG introduced the SmartStorage®
behind-the-meter energy storage system, an energy storage solution
designed to reduce peak demand usage for commercial and industrial
buildings. SharpÔÇÖs industry-first 10-year performance guarantee is
included with their 10-year operations and maintenance service
agreement, an option available for all SmartStorage® system
installations. SharpÔÇÖs integrated SmartStorage┬« solar hybrid
solution is available with no money down financing options. For more
information, visit: https://www.sharpsmartstorage.com.

About Santa Rita Union School District

The Santa Rita Union School District (SRUSD), located in the heart of
the Salinas Valley, is composed of approximately 3405 students from
Pre-School through Eighth Grade. Made up of four elementary schools and
two middle schools, all located within a five mile radius, the district
is characterized by rich cultural and linguistic diversity and a 'home
town' feel. The vision and mission of the SRUSD, a dynamic educational
organization, is to ensure that all students will be provided an
appropriate, challenging instructional program, enabling students to
become contributing members of a global community, by providing
opportunities to develop academic and social skills in a nurturing
environment. http://www.santaritaschools.org/

About MBL-energy

MBL-energy, based in San Jose, California, is a design-build contractor
specializing in the design and construction of solar energy projects.
With more than 16 years of experience, MBL has designed and constructed
over 350MW of solar PV, including parking canopies, roof mount, DSA,
ground mount, specialty projects, and trackers. MBL takes an innovative
and efficient approach to meet the demands of all projects. With our
in-house design, project management, and construction teams, we adapt to
an ever-changing solar construction industry, with efficiency and
precision. MBL is dedicated to early technology adoption, uncompromising
quality of materials, and maximum efficiency, to bring our customers a
system that is accurately scoped, structurally sound, and financially
viable, in a faster time to project completion. To learn more, visit: https://www.mbl-energy.com/

Contacts

Mercom Communications (a division of Mercom Capital Group)
Wendy
Prabhu, 1-512-215-4452
[email protected]