Montgomery County Commissioner Dan Foley, SCHOTT Solar PV Inc., Kastle Solar & Wind Announce Completion of Largest Solar Installation in Southwest Ohio

DAYTON, Ohio, Sept. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- SCHOTT Solar PV, Inc. and Dayton-based Kastle Solar & Wind were joined by Montgomery County Commissioner Dan Foley to announce the completion of a 120-kilowatt solar installation on the roof of the Dayton Daily News distribution center. It is the largest commercial solar installation in Southwest Ohio and will meet approximately 60 percent of the building's electricity needs.

The installation consists of 528 SCHOTT POLY® 225 photovoltaic (PV) solar panels. SCHOTT Solar manufactures its PV solar panels at its Albuquerque, New Mexico facility and employs more than 300 American workers. Kastle Solar & Wind is part of Kastle Electric, one of Ohio's leading electrical contractors for the past 80 years. Kastle completed installing the SCHOTT PV panels in five weeks and utilized local electricians.

"We commend the Dayton Daily News for their investment in clean renewable energy that will help diversify our electricity supply, reduce our dependence on coal-fired electricity, help to clean up our environment, and strengthen our local economy," said Montgomery County Commissioner Dan Foley.

"SCHOTT Solar is committed to building a strong U.S. solar industry that creates American jobs from the manufacturing of the panels to their installation," said Tom Hecht, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at SCHOTT Solar PV, Inc. "It's our privilege to work with partners like Kastle, who match their history of excellence in the electrical world with the quality of SCHOTT solar panels to deliver cost-effective, reliable solutions for customers."

"We see tremendous opportunities for commercial customers like the Dayton Daily News to save money on their electric bills by installing clean, reliable solar," said Mark Wiley, President of Kastle Solar & Wind. "That potential is what will help us grow our business and help build a robust solar industry in Southwest Ohio."

"It is very exciting to see the growing interest and activity in the use of solar photovoltaic panels," said Chris Meyer, Director of Energy Programs for the Dayton Development Coalition. "Companies such as Sol Ventus Partners and Kastle Solar and Electric, who are offering an attractive alternative plan for financing and installing PV arrays, are helping to drive business development and job creation in the Dayton Region. Jobs in new energy fields are the result."

This is Kastle's largest project to date after entering the solar industry in January 2010. The company partners with Sol Ventus Partners, LLC, who provides project financing, and together they have two projects starting later this year to install solar panels in Adams County. Each project will be a 300-kilowatt installation on the roofs of two schools in the Adams County/Ohio Valley School District.

The Dayton Daily News distribution center installation will be part of the 2010 Ohio Solar Tour that is open to the public from October 2 – 3. For more information, visit http://www.greenenergyohio.org/ost.

About SCHOTT Solar

SCHOTT Solar, with its high quality products, enables the potential of the sun as a nearly inexhaustible source of energy to be utilized. SCHOTT Solar produces important components for photovoltaic applications and solar energy power plants. In the production of receivers for solar power plants, SCHOTT Solar sees itself as a market and technology leader. Receivers from SCHOTT Solar are key components in large-scale power plants that generate electricity from solar energy centrally on the basis of parabolic trough technology and are able to supply entire cities with power. SCHOTT Solar has production facilities in Germany, the Czech Republic, the USA and Spain. The innovative power and technological competence of the company date back to the late 1950s. SCHOTT Solar is a wholly owned subsidiary of the international SCHOTT group. SCHOTT develops special materials, components and systems for the household appliance, pharmaceutical, solar energy, electronics, optical and automotive industries. With approximately 17,000 employees producing worldwide sales of approximately $3 billion. In North America, SCHOTT's holding company SCHOTT Corporation and its subsidiary SCHOTT North America, Inc. and their affiliates employ about 3,000 people in 14 production operations with 6 sales offices.

The company's technological and economic expertise is closely linked with its social and ecological responsibilities.

SOURCE SCHOTT Solar PV, Inc.