ESA Powers Up New 2MW Solar Energy Farm in an Agrotourism Region of Umbria Italy

Castel Giorgio array resides in harmony with the natural environment

Lake Mary, Fl., May 26th, 2011 – ESA announced today that it recently commissioned a 2-megawatt (MW) solar farm in the municipality of Castel Giorgio, in the region of Umbria Italy.

The solar farm was constructed in approximately five months on 14-acres of undeveloped land rented by ESA. It is nestled amongst farming land on the summit of a high plateau just miles from Lake of Bolsena, an area rich in numerous tourist establishments, largely for camping, agrotourism and bed and breakfasts.
The 8,350-panel solar array is one of the largest concentration of photovoltaic modules on one site in the region. It is also the largest project in the Castel Giorgio council.

“This new solar farm builds on Canadian Solar’s rich heritage in serving Italy’s vibrant renewable market, and we’re pleased to partner with ESA to bring clean energy to Umbria,” said Shawn Qu, CEO of Canadian Solar. “This 2 MW project demonstrates Castel Giorgio’s energy leadership. It’s a testament to the quality and efficiency of our modules that Canadian Solar was chosen to be part of one of the largest solar project in the municipality.”

The project utilized 4,150 Canadian Solar panels and 4200 Trina Solar panels. In its first year of operation, this newly commissioned array has the potential to generate 3.1 million kilowatt hours (kWh) — roughly the equivalent annual demand of 300 average-size homes. Utilizing a proprietary monitoring system to track energy produced and store historical data, ESA can monitor the system from anywhere in the world.

The solar energy array was designed, engineered, procured, constructed and managed by ESA utilizing local labor. The solar farm will be operated and maintained by ESA. Enel, Italy’s largest power company, will purchase the electricity generated by the system through the feed-in-tariff program at a predictable rate.

“Projects like our solar farm demonstrate a fundamental shift in the value of renewable energy sources,” said Mariano Lopez, CEO of ESA. “We’re proud to have commissioned this array because it represents positive movement towards achieving energy independence.”

He added, “We have no intention of stopping here. We have upcoming plans that include additional large-scale solar installations — because renewable energy is definitely the way of the future.”

About ESA Renewables, LLC
Located in Lake Mary, FL, ESA Renewables has positioned itself as a leader in the industry providing turnkey solar PV systems globally. ESA owns and operates a diverse portfolio of over 400 solar PV power generating facilities located in the United States, Puerto Rico, Spain and Italy. ESA’s scope of services for these projects includes financing, engineering, construction, procurement and commissioning and long term operation and maintenance. With headquarters in Castellon Spain, ESA has additional offices in Florida, Puerto Rico, France and Italy. For more information about ESA Renewables, LLC, please visit www.esarenewables.com or call 407-268-6455.