American Solar Inc. Completes Solar Heated Building to Cover Emergency Generators at U.S. Geological Survey

Annandale, VA—American Solar Inc. (ASI) announced today that it completed construction of the nation's first solar heated building to house emergency generators. The completed system, located at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Reston facility, uses the company's patented solar tile system. John Archibald, President American Solar, Inc. made the announcement.

ASI's solar-heated metal building (measuring 14' by 45' by 20') encloses two 800 KW emergency diesel generators. The building receives heat from ASI's solar roof tiles and from the building's self-forming, solar-heated walls. The heated air inside the building provides much of the heat needed by the generators to insure a ready start.

As is typical in the industry, USGS had previously heated its emergency diesel generators (located outside a main building) with expensive electric resistance heat. In contrast, ASI's solar heated tiles use the sun's energy to provide much of the heat required by the generator. ASI's system reduces the cost of heating the generator by about 50%.

The 600,000 emergency diesel generators installed in the United States consume an estimated 6 billion-kilowatt hours and $360 million per year to produce standby electric heating. Building owners use these emergency generators to power the electric needs of their buildings when normal utility service is interrupted. The generators provide power for operation of critical equipment, building systems important to life and safety of the occupants, and high value services such as telecommunications and utility pumping stations. Many facilities install generators in ventilated outdoor enclosures. The enclosures allow cold air to cool the engine. To ensure a quick reliable start, building owners heat their generators year round.

"We're pleased to help our government clients reduce their energy use while building better buildings. This building's integrated solar roof and solar walls are a real advance in architecture and engineering," said Archibald. "These solar heating systems, which are also the weather tight exterior of the buildings, give twice the value for the dollar. Year after year, these systems will deliver heating benefits for no additional cost to the customer."

American Solar, Inc. manufactures a new (patent-protected) solar heating system. This system produces heat at lower cost than most oil, gas, electric, and solar power sources. The company's systems cost-effectively gather large amounts of solar heated air from an attractive tile roof. With these innovative technologies, customers can use solar energy in several new ways. Customers with applications that require year round energy loads and that use high-cost heating sources benefit the most. By purchasing ASI's products, commercial, government and institutional facilities receive dependable, continuous and cost-effective energy.

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For further information, visit American Solar's Web site: www.americansolar.com or contact ASI at 703-425-0923 or by email at info@americansolar.com.