SunPower's High-Efficiency Solar Panels Power the Top Three Teams at the 2009 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon

Technische Universitat Darmstadt of Germany Takes First Place for the Second Consecutive Event

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SunPower Corp. (Nasdaq: SPWRA and SPWRB), a Silicon Valley-based manufacturer of high-efficiency solar cells, solar panels and solar systems, today announced that the teams of students representing universities from Germany, Illinois and California have placed first, second and third, respectively, at the 2009 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon. All three winning teams used SunPower's high-performance solar panels to power their homes in this competition. Technische Universitat Darmstadt of Germany took top honors for the second consecutive event. This marks the third consecutive Solar Decathlon where SunPower's solar panels were used by the competition's first-place team.

The 2009 Solar Decathlon, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), was held October 8 through October 16 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Twenty teams of university students competed in 10 contests, including architecture, engineering, market viability and solar energy production. The first Solar Decathlon was held in 2002, and competitions now take place every other year.

Team Germany, using the SunPower 300 Solar Panel, a 96-cell, all-black panel, scored a perfect 150 points in Net Metering, a new category added to the competition this year. The University of Illinois chose the SunPower 225 Solar Panel for its highly energy-efficient house and earned second place in the Net Metering contest. Team California, which also used the SunPower 225 Solar Panel, took top honors in the architecture category. SunPower solar panels powered a total of seven schools in this competition, with Team Boston, University of Puerto Rico, University of Kentucky, and Team Spain also choosing SunPower solar panels for their homes.

"It is a great honor to have SunPower's solar panels power the top three winning homes at this year's Solar Decathlon," said Tom Werner, CEO of SunPower Corp. "The remarkable passion for design and engineering innovation that these teams displayed is commendable, and we applaud their commitment to finding a clean-technology solution to power their homes today and in the future. We also congratulate the DOE for its continued commitment to support these teams and their funding of solar research and development."

About SunPower

Founded in 1985, SunPower Corp. ( SPWRA, SPWRB) designs, manufactures and delivers the planet's most powerful solar technology broadly available today. Residential, business, government and utility customers rely on the company's experience and proven results to maximize return on investment. With headquarters in San Jose, Calif., SunPower has offices in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. For more information, visit www.sunpowercorp.com.

SunPower is a registered trademark of SunPower Corp. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE SunPower Corp.