MORE SOLAR ENERGY FOR THE PEOPLE OF PUGLIA

Under the agreement signed today between the Puglia region and Enel.si, a subsidiary of Enel Green Power, people living in Puglia will be able to buy electricity produced by photovoltaic roof panels, with a choice of two profitable solutions, with considerable benefits for the environment.

Rome – Bari, December 17th, 2010 – 'Green' energy from the roofs of households and businesses in Puglia will be available to everyone, as of today, under an agreement between the region of Puglia and Enel.si, a subsidiary of Enel Green Power, a leader in the Italian renewable-resources, distributed generation and energy efficiency.

The agreement promotes the growth of renewable energy through the installation of photovoltaic panels on roofs and sun terraces.  Hence Puglia is taking one more step towards carrying out its 'structural solar project', which consists in installing small and medium-sized photovoltaic panels on the homes of individuals and the premises of small and medium sized businesses (from 1 to 50 kW).

Under this agreement the owners of the properties can choose between two methods of installation of the photovoltaic panels.  The first solution provides for Enel.si to install the panels on the roof or roof terrace and for use of them for 20 years.  Owners of the properties will immediately be able to use the energy produced, resulting in lower bills and the considerable environmental advantages of lower CO2 emissions.  Enel.si will retain ownership of the installation for the whole period and will bear the installation, maintenance and administrative costs.  After 20 years the installation will automatically become the property of the owner of the building, who will have nothing to pay.

Under the second option the owner of the property invests in purchasing the panels and therefore owns the equipment from the outset.  People who opt for this solution will not only benefit from the energy produced by the installation and from the incentives provided by the GSE's Energy Account but will also able to take advantage of Enel.si's all-inclusive package.  Priced competitively, the package also provides the possibility of obtaining a loan to cover the cost, repayable over a period of up to 10 years.

The President of the Region of Puglia, Nichi Vendola, stated that: " This initiative shows how the region of Puglia intends to expand the generation of energy from renewable sources.  We wish to encourage the installation of solar panels on the roofs of buildings.  The micro-generation of electricity has two main advantages:  first, it promotes an ethos of consuming what one has produced oneself and of saving energy, thus raising individuals' awareness of the economic and environmental importance of balancing energy output and consumption, and secondly it will enable numerous individuals and micro and small businesses in the region to make substantial savings on bills because of the direct or indirect advantages of the Government incentive scheme, which would otherwise encourage the industrial-scale generation of electricity from renewable sources."  Vendola concluded by saying, "Today we are taking the first step towards encouraging individuals and businesses in Puglia to develop a regional programme for the installation of photovoltaic panels.  The future of the generation of electricity using photovoltaic panels must be micro-generation and must involve every town in the region."

"Enel Green Power, along with Enel.si, strongly believes in the potential of solar power and in generating it over a wide area," added Guido Stratta, head of Enel.si.  "Rooftop photovoltaic panels, on otherwise unused surfaces, are the optimum solution for the generation of zero-emissions energy in a densely populated country such as Italy, which has no large areas to spare.  The figures confirm this.  Up to now approximately 130 thousand installation have been installed in Italy, most of which do not exceed one megawatt:  Enel.si with its 560 franchisees have so far installed more than 150 MW of photovoltaic panels for individuals and businesses."

Enel Green Power is the Enel Group company that is entirely devoted to developing and operating renewable sources in Italy and worldwide, producing approximately 21 billion KWh annually from water, the sun, the wind and the heat of the earth, equal to the consumption of more than 7.5 million families, thus avoiding the emission into the atmosphere of more than 15.5 million tonnes of CO2.

Enel.si, a subsidiary of Enel Green Power, is the leading company in Italy in the installation of equipment using renewable sources for individuals and businesses:  through its franchised network of 560 highly specialized installers, Enel.si can offer a turnkey package for installing devices using renewable sources and dealing with all the paperwork, including linking to the grid and applying to the GSE for grants.  And under exclusive agreements with leading lenders and insurance companies, the company offers customers financial solutions at reasonable rates for purchasing and installing the equipment and all-inclusive packages for insuring it.

Enel.si's range has recently been expanded to include a turnkey package for the installation of micro wind generators.  These small wind generators produce between 1 and 200 kW and can supply houses or small country guest houses but also small weather stations and boats.  A financial package will also be offered for the purchase of this equipment:  applications can be made for a loan covering up to 100% of the cost of the equipment, repayable on attractive terms.

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