Ameresco Commemorates Newburyport-based Solar PV Project with Donation

Ameresco, the City of Newburyport, Canadian Solar and Munro Distributing attend ceremony to recognize 502 kW solar project at Rupert Nock Middle School

Framingham, MA – December 13, 2010 – Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC), a leading energy efficiency and renewable energy company, held a ceremony today at the Rupert Nock Middle School in Newburyport, MA to recognize the City of Newburyport Solar project and present a donation to the City. The project, one of the largest early municipal solar photovoltaic installations in the Commonwealth, produces 502 kW of clean, renewable electricity.

As part of its 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the City, Ameresco designed, financed and installed the 2,000 panel rooftop solar project, which was installed on three municipal buildings including the Rupert Nock Middle School, the Edward G. Molin Upper Elementary School and the Department of Public Works Building (DPW). The projects went online in September 2009 and have generated enough clean energy to offset 402 tons of carbon dioxide annually, which is the equivalent of planting more than 8,000 trees. In addition, to provide Newburyport’s children with a learning experience, Ameresco installed a lobby LCD panel in the Middle School and a special software package that makes rooftop weather and solar PV production data available online for the science classrooms.

“This project has been a win-win for Newburyport,” said Mayor Donna Holaday. “Not only are we using clean renewable energy but are also modeling innovation and responsible energy usage for our students, teaching staff and the community at large. It is a demonstration of our commitment to the future which is also vital to our economy, history and heritage.”

Recently, the Ameresco project was nominated for and received an award as part of the “Win with Canadian Solar” contest, available to companies that have completed installations that use Canadian Solar’s modules. As part of the prize, Ameresco was awarded $500 from Canadian Solar for its work at the Nock Middle School, which Ameresco will donate to the City of Newburyport. Additionally, Ameresco and Munro Solar, a subcontracting partner on the project, will each donate an additional $500, bringing the total donation to $1,500.

“We are pleased to have played a pivotal role in making Newburyport more sustainable,” said Jim Walker, Director of Solar PV Grid Projects at Ameresco. “We thank Canadian Solar for recognizing the importance of this project and are delighted to be able to donate it to our partners on the project at the City.”

“We are pleased to recognize Ameresco, a company committed to their customers’ satisfaction, for their design and installation of this PV project featuring Canadian Solar modules,” said Alan King, vice president of sales for the U.S. division of Canadian Solar, Inc. “We also want to congratulate Nock Middle School for not only on their move toward energy efficiency, but for the example they are setting in their community and the education they are providing to students on sustainable solutions for the future.”

“I commend Ameresco for being selected for Canadian Solar’s ‘Win with Canadian Solar’ contest and we are proud to be a part of it,” said Glenn Maltais, director of Munro’s Solar Division. “We are also delighted to make a donation to help the City of Newburyport in their efforts to become more energy efficient.”

The installation required no capital investment by Newburyport taxpayers. The City received $1.6 million in rebate funding from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (formerly the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative Renewable Energy Trust), from which Newburyport was allowed to retain $400,000.  The Green Communities Act of 2008, which was championed by Governor Deval Patrick and the Massachusetts Legislature, allows municipalities to engage private third parties to provide turnkey energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions under a performance-based energy contract. The Commonwealth set a goal of 250 MW of solar energy by 2017.

About Ameresco, Inc.
Ameresco, Inc. was incorporated in Delaware in April 2000 and is a leading independent provider of comprehensive energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions for facilities throughout North America. Ameresco’s solutions include upgrades to a facility’s energy infrastructure, and the development, construction, and operation of renewable energy plants. With corporate headquarters located in Framingham, MA, Ameresco has 55 offices in 29 states and four Canadian provinces. For more information, visit www.ameresco.com.

About Canadian Solar
Canadian Solar Inc. is one of the world’s largest solar companies. As a leading vertically integrated provider of ingot, wafer, solar cell, solar module and other solar applications, Canadian Solar designs, manufactures and delivers solar products and solar system solutions for on-grid and off-grid use to customers worldwide. With operations in North America, Europe and Asia, Canadian Solar provides premium quality, cost-effective and environmentally-friendly solar solutions to support global, sustainable development. For more information, visit www.canadiansolar.com (opens in new window).

About Munro Distributing Co.
As a leading full-line wholesale distributor of electrical, life safety, energy efficiency and solar components, Munro Distributing is instrumental in helping businesses, NGOs, and government agencies maximize energy and cost efficiencies – while minimizing their environmental footprint. Since 1942, Munro has provided the most technically advanced products and essential value-add service.  For more information about Munro Distributing, visit www.munrodistributing.com (opens in new window).