Siting Renewable Energy Projects:Roadblocks and Opportunities

August 9, 2011

John Lichtenberger

Agenda

Overview of SunEdison

General thoughts about project siting

Roadblocks

Opportunities

Examples

Q&A

SunEdison

North America’s largest solar energy service provider

Over 480 solar power plants, built, financed, and/or under

O&M

~290+ MW (expected by year end) of 100% renewable

electricity installed

Europe’s largest single-site solar plant (70 MWs)

Demonstrated track record with financial institutions

Over $2.5bn in financing experience

Systems operating at 104% of underwritten investment

MEMC, parent company of SunEdison

50 year old, $2.5bn market cap, S&P500 corporation

Leader in manufacture of silicon wafers for solar and

semiconductor

Strong balance sheet and low cost manufacturing

infrastructure

General Thoughts About Project Siting

Requires collaboration and

alignment with multiple

stakeholders – landowners,

community leaders, permitting

and regulatory agencies, wildlife

and the environment

Renewable energy is

compatible with the environment

as it does not produce harmful

emissions or hazardous waste

Many agencies have adopted

siting guidelines

Work crews install pilings for a solar plant in New Mexico

Roadblocks to Siting Projects

Transmission and distribution

limitations

Permitting and regulatory

Southwest US – Obtaining land

easements through federal/state

land to access project site

Northeast - Environmental

“overlays & setbacks” reduce or

eliminate good land for solar

NIMBYs / community opposition

Western U.S - Severed minerals

estates or blanket easements

Solar power plant in Rifle, CO

Opportunities for Siting Projects

Brownfield sites – land previously

used for industrial purposes

Publicly owned lands – land owned

by cities, utilities, and other

public/state agencies

Project sites that have distinct,

unique advantages

Airports – Denver International,

Albuquerque International Sunport

and Lakeland Linder Regional

Airport

Jobs/Industry creation for the

community beyond energy

Align multiple solutions

SunEdison project on closed landfill in MD

Example - CPS Energy

CPS Energy 400 MW RFP

“We plan to use this RFP to attract solar

manufacturing or assembly to San

Antonio. Collaborating with strong

partners such as the City of San

Antonio, chambers of commerce, the

Economic Development Foundation,

Port San Antonio, the University of

Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and the

armed services will provide additional

leverage,” said Beneby. “We’re aiming

for the complete package – a contract

that is also ripe with partnerships for

research and development, and support

for education.”

Example – OPA Domestic content

Ontario Power Authority Feed-In Tariff

Includes a domestic content

requirement

Solar PV projects > 10 kW have a

minimum domestic content

requirement of 50% if COD before

Jan 1, 2011 and 60% if COD after

Jan 1, 2011

MEMC/SunEdison partnered with

Flextronics to create ~400 jobs for

the production of solar panels

Flextronics workers assemble MEMC solar

panels in Newmarket, ON

Questions and Answers

Solar power plant at Ironwood Prison, CA