Mattson Technology CEO Challenge and SunPower PedalOn Awards to Further Corporate and Cycling Club Involvement

Mattson Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: MTSN), a Silicon Valley-based supplier of advanced process equipment used to manufacture semiconductors, and SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWR), a Silicon-Valley based manufacturer of high-efficiency solar cells, solar panels and solar systems, are now official sponsors of the Webcor King-of-the-Mountain Ride taking place 10 a.m., Saturday, February 16 in San Jose. A kick-off for the upcoming Amgen Tour of California, the Webcor San Jose King-of-the-Mountain Ride, beginning at the Richard Meier-designed San Jose City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara Street, features an aggressive ascent up San Jose’s Sierra Road. Riding like seasoned professionals up the Sierra hill, the best and the hardiest cyclists will compete for the honor of being King-of-the-Mountain.

Mattson Technology is now the official title sponsor of the Webcor King-of-the-Mountain Mattson Technology CEO Challenge, a competition where Silicon Valley corporate leaders and elected officials will vie for the honor of being the “CEO King-of-the-Mountain.” Participants will receive a Mattson Technology CEO Challenge jersey and an invitation to the Mattson Technology luncheon, Wednesday, February 20, in the San Jose City Hall Rotunda overlooking the Amgen Tour of California Stage 3 finish line. The male and female CEO cyclist with the fastest Webcor King-of-the-Mountain time each will be presented with a commemorative award and a $500 gift certificate donated by Undiscovered Country Tours — a premium cycling tour specialist — on the podium at the Wednesday, February 20, Amgen Tour of California stage finish line at San Jose City Hall.

“We are pleased to be with Webcor and SunPower to continue the success of the King-of-the-Mountain Ride. Our hope is to engage the corporate community in this fun event and further raise awareness of the environmental and health benefits of cycling,” said David L. Dutton, President and CEO, Mattson Technology.

SunPower Corporation also joins Mattson Technology as a new sponsor of the Webcor King-of-the-Mountain Ride. SunPower is the official title sponsor of the Webcor King-of-the-Mountain SunPower PedalOn Awards. Honoring cycling club and company teams, the SunPower PedalOn Awards is a play on the cycling term “peloton,” the large main group in a road bicycle race. Riders in a group save energy by riding close to other riders. Cycling clubs and company teams will be recognized for best (top 5) times and most participants. While winning cycling clubs and company teams will both receive commemorative trophies, winning cycling clubs will also win a Specialized bike.

“As a cyclist and participant in the inaugural Webcor King-of-the-Mountain Ride last year, I can personally attest to how this challenging and fun event builds a sense of camaraderie. That’s one of the reasons why we at SunPower are so excited to lend our support to an award that promotes teamwork and group participation,” said Tom Werner, CEO, SunPower Corporation.

The Webcor King-of-the-Mountain Ride benefits Fit for Learning, a program provided by the Santa Clara County Office of Education. The Ride also serves as a kick off to the 2008 Amgen Tour of California, a Tour de France-style cycling road race in which 18 of the world’s top professional cycling teams will compete along a demanding 650-mile course from Palo Alto-Stanford University to Pasadena, February 17-24, 2008, including the race’s most challenging stretch during the Modesto-to-San Jose Stage 3 leg Wednesday, February 20, with a finish directly in front of San Jose City Hall.

“For more than a Century, San Jose has been a key center for cycling sport. We are proud to carry on this legacy with the Webcor King-of-the-Mountain and Amgen Tour of California events,” said San Jose’s Chief Development Officer whose City recently adopted the San Jose Green Vision — an aggressive 15-year plan addressing clean technologies, environmental sustainability and green mobility. “We hope residents throughout San Jose and Silicon Valley are inspired by these events and consider cycling as a viable mode of transportation,” said Krutko.

San Jose’s long history of cycling includes the production of the first mechanically pedaled bicycle in North America — created in the 1800s. Additionally, San Jose’s first bicycling club, the Garden City Wheelmen, was formed in 1884. The City has also been home to six velodromes with the first dating back to 1892. The Hellyer Park Velodrome is currently the only velodrome in Northern California, and is one of 19 still in existence in the United States.

For more information about the Webcor King-of-the-Mountain Ride and its Mattson CEO Challenge and SunPower PedalOn Awards, please contact Tricia Kerkhof, tricia.kerkhof@sanjoseca.gov, (40 277-5144, ext. 33.

ABOUT THE WEBCOR KING-OF-THE-MOUNTAIN RIDE

The 26-mile Webcor King-of-the-Mountain ride, which will begin at 10 a.m., Saturday, February 16, at San Jose City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara Street, features police motorcycles leading a rolling closure north and east of Downtown San Jose to the base of the Sierra Road climb. Cyclists then will cross a timing pad to activate timing chips and begin their ascent up Sierra Road — a stunning 3.7-mile, 1,830-foot climb, with an average gradient of 10 percent that was the most difficult stretch of last year’s Amgen Tour of California race. After summiting Sierra Road, riders may complete the Sierra/Calaveras/Piedmont loop and ride west to City Hall. Even though the ride officially ends at the Sierra Hill summit, riders are invited to return back to City Hall for a post ride celebration. The cyclist with the fastest climb time will be presented with a Specialized bicycle on the podium at the Wednesday, February 20, Amgen Tour of California stage finish line at San Jose City Hall.

In addition to Webcor, Mattson and SunPower, other promotional consideration is being provided by Specialized, GlobalFluency, Sports Basement, Open Space Authority, Santa Clara County and Undiscovered Country Tours.

The Webcor San Jose King-of-the-Mountain Ride is being produced by the City of San Jose’s Office of Economic Development, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, the San Jose Sports Authority and Blue Wolf Events, a comprehensive event management and production company, specializing in cycling events. Base registration fee for the Webcor San Jose King-of-the-Mountain Ride is $50. The event is limited to the first 300 registrants. Riders must be at least 18 or older. Helmets are required. For more information and registration, please visit, www.sanjoseca.gov/kingofthemountain.html.

ABOUT MATTSON TECHNOLOGY, INC.

Mattson Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: MTSN) is the leading supplier of dry strip equipment and the second largest supplier of rapid thermal processing equipment in the global semiconductor industry. The company’s strip and RTP equipment utilize innovative technology to deliver advanced processing performance and productivity gains to semiconductor manufacturers worldwide for the fabrication of current- and next-generation devices. For more information, please contact Mattson Technology, Inc., 47131 Bayside Parkway, Fremont, Calif. 94538. Telephone: (800) MATTSON/(510) 657-5900. Fax: (510) 492-5911. Internet: www.mattson.com.

ABOUT SUNPOWER

SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWR) designs, manufactures and delivers high-performance solar-electric systems worldwide for residential, commercial and utility-scale power plant customers. SunPower high-efficiency solar cells and solar panels generate up to 50 percent more power than conventional solar technologies and have a uniquely attractive, all-black appearance. With headquarters in San Jose, Calif., SunPower has offices in North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit http://www.sunpowercorp.com. SunPower is a majority-owned subsidiary of Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE: CY). SunPower is a registered trademark of SunPower Corp. Cypress is a registered trademark of Cypress Semiconductor Corp. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

ABOUT WEBCOR

Webcor Builders is the largest general contractor in California, by volume, and the 10th largest concrete contractor in the nation. Over thirty-five years of serving clients such as Oracle, eBay, Lucasfilm, and the California Academy of Sciences has secured Webcor’s position as a leading builder of large-scale, high-profile projects. Visit www.webcor.com for more information.

ABOUT FIT FOR LEARNING

Proceeds from the Webcor San Jose King-of-the-Mountain Ride will benefit Fit for Learning. Fit for Learning is a program provided by the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) in cooperation with Healthy Silicon Valley that addresses the crisis of childhood obesity and is a multi-faceted initiative that will increase physical activity and encourage healthy nutrition among elementary school students in Santa Clara County. Fit for Learning addresses the environment at every level: the classroom, the school, the district and community. For more information, visit www.fitforlearning.org.

ABOUT THE SILICON VALLEY LEADERSHIP GROUP

The Silicon Valley Leadership Group, founded in 1978 by David Packard of Hewlett-Packard, represents 210 of Silicon Valley’s most respected employers on issues, programs and campaigns that affect the economic health and quality of life in Silicon Valley, including energy, transportation, education, housing, health care, tax policies, economic vitality and the environment. Leadership Group members collectively provide nearly 250,000 local jobs, or one of every four private sector jobs in Silicon Valley. For more information, visit www.svlg.net or call (40 501-7864.

ABOUT THE CITY OF SAN JOSE’S OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The City of San Jose’s Office of Economic Development (OED) is committed to a vital, competitive San Jose economy that increases prosperity for people and companies and enhances City revenues. The Office guides the City’s economic strategy, provides assistance for business success, helps connect employers with trained workers, and provides art, sporting and cultural resources to our community. For more information, please visit, www.sjeconomy.com.

ABOUT THE CITY OF SAN JOSE

From its founding in 1777 as California’s first city, San Jose has been a leader, driven by its spirit of innovation. Today, San Jose stands as the largest city in Northern California and the Capital of Silicon Valley — the world’s leading center of innovation. The city, the 10th largest in the U.S., is committed to remaining a top-ranked place to do business, work, live, play and learn. For more information, visit, www.sanjoseca.gov.

Cyclone Power Technologies, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: CYPW) announced today that Robert Edwards, a retired senior engineer from Lockheed Martin, has joined the company’s Board of Advisors.Mr. Edwards served at Lockheed Martin for over 30 years, working on different projects including the Apollo Moon Project and other space programs. His area of expertise is in energy conversion systems, including thermoelectric, steam, internal combustion and external combustion engines. Mr. Edwards has also spent over 20 years working with experimental steam cars and other steam systems, and is an officer of the Mobile Steam Society in Tennessee. He has published over 40 scientific papers and now gives talks on the subjects of alternative fuels and heat transfer systems. He holds a B.S. from the University of Tennessee. 

“The Cyclone engine is the most highly regenerative steam engine for its size that I’ve ever seen,” stated Mr. Edwards. “Harry [Cyclone's CEO] has done great work and has a great design. This is a project well worth pursuing.”

“Robert’s knowledge and expertise in the area of energy conversion has been and will continue to be invaluable to the development of our engine technology,” stated Cyclone’s CEO, Harry Schoell. “We’re honored to have a distinguished engineer like Robert on our team.”

CORPORATE PROFILE

Cyclone holds the U.S. patent, international patent applications, and exclusive commercial rights to the Green Revolution Engine™ an environmentally-friendly and highly-efficient external combustion, heat-regenerative engine. Developed by Cyclone’s President and CEO, Harry Schoell, the Cyclone engine regenerates (or recycles) its heat, which allows it to run cleaner, cooler and more efficiently than traditional internal combustion engines. The Green Revolution Engine is capable of running on any liquid or gaseous fuel, including ethanol, bio-diesel and propane. The company also recently filed a patent application for its Waste Heat Engine, a low-pressure engine capable of running on heat emitted from external sources, including the waste exhaust of a power generator or renewable solar power. Both these engines are lubricated with de-ionized water instead of motor oil, and by eliminating many subsystems like oil pumps, radiators, catalytic converters and fuel injectors, the Cyclone engines are expected to cost less to manufacture, operate and maintain. The Green Revolution Engine in particular is highly scalable and sufficiently powerful for applications ranging from lawn equipment and small home generators, large stand-alone generators, to cars, trucks, buses, RV’s, boats and ships, as well as earth moving equipment and locomotives.

CEO Plans Meetings in 12 Cities, 7 Countries Over the Next Two Weeks With Former CEO of Lotus Engineering

Steve Schneider, CEO of electric car pioneer ZAP (OTCBB: ZAAP), says that ZAP is ‘racing’ to meet the opportunities that exist today in electric transportation. The Company has meetings over the next two weeks to further its business plans with various people and businesses in 12 cities, seven countries. 

“The timing could never be better for ZAP’s business plan,” said Schneider. “In 1994 ZAP set out to create cost-effective electric vehicles because we knew that gas prices would continue upwards and people would start looking for alternatives. Well, that future is now and ZAP is racing to meet these opportunities.”

Albert Lam, former CEO of Lotus Engineering, will be traveling with Schneider. Mr. Lam was appointed to ZAP’s Board of Directors in November. He was instrumental in establishing a joint venture between ZAP and Youngman Automotive, one of China’s leading bus and truck manufacturers. Mr. Lam has been named Chairman of the new Joint Venture Company with a focus on creating a line of electric and hybrid cars, trucks and buses.

Schneider said he plans to hold meetings in Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Jinhua, Nanjing, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Amsterdam, London, and Dubai. The meetings taking place are with manufacturers, technology suppliers, investors, banks and distribution partners.

About ZAP

ZAP has been a leader in advanced transportation technologies since 1994, delivering over 100,000 vehicles to consumers in more than 75 countries. At the forefront of fuel-efficient transportation with new technologies including energy efficient gas systems, hydrogen, electric, fuel cell, ethanol, hybrid and other innovative power systems, ZAP has a joint venture to manufacture electric and hybrid vehicles with Youngman Automotive Group, one of China’s leading manufacturers of buses and trucks. ZAP is developing a high-performance crossover SUV electric car concept called ZAP-X engineered by Lotus Engineering. ZAP is also developing a new generation of vehicles using advanced nanotech batteries with Advanced Battery Technologies. The Company recently announced a strategic partnership with Dubai-based Al Yousuf Group to expand its international vehicle distribution. ZAP also makes an innovative, new portable energy technology that manages power for mobile electronics from cell phones to laptops. For product, dealer and investor information, visit http://www.zapworld.com.

Cyclone Power Technologies, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: CYPW) announced today that a podcast discussing progress in green engine technology and featuring Wilson McQueen, Cyclone’s VP Sales & Marketing, has been posted on the website of SolidWorks Corporation. The podcast, complete with photos of the company’s Green Revolution Engine™, Waste Heat Engine, and their respective components, can be accessed at the following web address:

http://blogs.solidworks.com/mediapodcasts/2007/12/burning-clean.html

CORPORATE PROFILE

Cyclone holds the U.S. patent, international patent applications, and exclusive commercial rights to the Green Revolution Engine™, an environmentally friendly and highly efficient external combustion, heat-regenerative engine. Developed by Cyclone’s President and CEO, Harry Schoell, the Cyclone engine regenerates (or recycles) its heat, which allows it to run cleaner, cooler and more efficiently than traditional internal combustion engines. The Green Revolution Engine is capable of running on any liquid or gaseous fuel, including ethanol, bio-diesel and propane. The company also recently filed a patent application for its Waste Heat Engine, a low-pressure engine capable of running on heat emitted from external sources, including the waste exhaust of a power generator or renewable solar power. Both these engines are lubricated with de-ionized water instead of motor oil, and by eliminating many subsystems like oil pumps, radiators, catalytic converters and fuel injectors, the Cyclone engines are expected to cost less to manufacture, operate and maintain. The Green Revolution Engine in particular is highly scalable and sufficiently powerful for applications ranging from lawn equipment and small home generators, large stand-alone generators, to cars, trucks, buses, RVs, boats and ships, as well as earth moving equipment and locomotives.

Joint Venture will manufacture batteries for VV’s line of PHEVs

Electrovaya (TSX: EFL) announced today that it has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with New York based Visionary Vehicles (VV) to produce batteries for VV’s full line of plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs). The agreement will result in a Joint Venture to develop, manufacture and provide Electrovaya’s Lithium-Ion SuperPolymer® batteries and intelligent battery management systems to Visionary Vehicles for use in its PHEVs.

“We have been reviewing battery manufacturers from the United States, Europe and Asia for 14 months,” said Visionary Vehicles Founder, Chairman and CEO Malcolm Bricklin. “We are thrilled to have found Electrovaya and we are excited to enter into a long-term strategic partnership with them. This is a complex new terrain and the methodology and science that Electrovaya has developed stands apart from others.”

Dr. Sankar DasGupta, CEO of Electrovaya said, “Electrovaya looks forward to working with Malcolm and Visionary Vehicles to commercialize of plug-in hybrids with advanced battery and motor technologies. Together we plan to make low emission transportation affordable and widely available.”

The MOU provides for the creation of a Joint Venture that will establish a stand-alone Company, to be owned by both firms equally, to develop and manufacture batteries and battery management systems. All capacity from the resulting new organization will be dedicated exclusively to Visionary Vehicle’s electric vehicles. The new organization will also dedicate a significant amount of its proceeds to research and development.

As part of the licensing agreement, the MOU provides for Electrovaya to receive royalties and license fees in addition to a 50% ownership in the joint venture with VV, as well as an option to participate in VV’s share structure. The MOU also provides VV with an option to purchase a small portion of Electrovaya’s outstanding shares.

The Electrovaya battery is a core component of VV’s vehicle strategy and will enable Visionary to bring its vehicles superior energy density, cycle life, service life, and shelf-life in a safe environment.

“Our proprietary SuperPolymer® battery technology and intelligent battery management system (iBMS) enables longer run-times in a smaller space for portable computers, wireless devices, electric vehicles and many alternative energy and mobile power applications,” said DasGupta. “Our innovations and technologies are a “platform”, whereby continued nanotech R&D with Visionary will enable a future of ongoing refinements without fear of being a transitory technology. We look forward to the high-volume production clean transportation future with great leaders like Visionary.”

“Through this innovative partnership, we will be able to create new economy scale for our batteries, a barrier that we had to overcome to meet our target MSRP,” continued Bricklin, “Our goal is not just to start Visionary Vehicles, it is to compel this new sector industry forward by opening our component strategy and pricing to new entrants.”

About Visionary Vehicles

Visionary Vehicles, Inc. was created to design and distribute plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (”PHEVs”) in North America and other world market currently not available to the general public. Its vehicles will be designed and engineered to meet or exceed the exacting standards of luxury, performance, quality and safety set by the leading German and Japanese luxury automakers. Visionary Vehicles is working to address the growing and substantial unmet consumer demand for alternative fuel vehicles as a result of growing awareness and concern regarding environmental issues, including the impact of carbon emissions on global warming and the desire for energy independence to promote national security. Visionary Vehicles believes that this demand conservatively translates into a potential market of approximately 2.5 million U.S. consumers in the near-term. The Company was founded by Malcolm Bricklin, the automotive innovator who also founded Subaru of America. Mr. Bricklin currently serves as Chairman and CEO of Visionary. For further information about Visionary Vehicles go to www.vvcars.com.

About Electrovaya

Electrovaya is a developer and manufacturer of portable power solutions with its propriety Lithium Ion SuperPolymer battery and systems technology. Its goal is to become the preferred provider of clean energy solutions, portable power systems and Lithium Ion Superpolymer batteries. System solutions for mobile applications include: zero emission vehicles, plug-in electric hybrid vehicles, mobile computing (Tablet PCs), solar energy storage, UPS and stand-by power. The company’s shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol EFL. For further information about Electrovaya, see www.electrovaya.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas) — The country’s ethanol production capacity went from 5.6 billion gallons at the end of 2006 to more than 7.5 billion gallons at the end of 2007, representing the largest growth that the industry has ever experienced. The pace for new plant construction and expansion activity is expected to slow, and industry consolidation will be on the rise as producers look to acquire existing plants rather than build new capacity. Jay Brunson, Vice President for the Alternative Fuels Group of Industrial Info, said: “Currently there are over 60 new plants under construction and another eight existing operational plants expanding. Once all the current new build and expansion activity is completed, the new total capacity for the U.S. is expected to jump to over 13 billion gallons annually.”

The decrease in construction activity across the country is also a sign the industry is maturing. There is no simple answer to what 2008 will bring, but one of the key factors to getting projects moving forward is money. Projects that are fundable and have their equity in place will be the ones that get built.

Industrial Info’s Ethanol Database provides a comprehensive outline of all current development activities in the emerging alternative fuels market. This database covers 124 ethanol plants in operation and 504 plants under development. It also covers 68 operational biodiesel plants and 205 biodiesel plants under development.

Join Jay Brunson and Crazy Al of “Industry Today” to find the answer to these issues and much more. CLICK HERE Monday, January 14, 2008, at 10:30 a.m. (EST) to hear the broadcast. If you miss the show, CLICK HERE to hear this or any of the over 260 previous “Industry Today” shows covering topics important to industry spending, including trends, outlooks and focus segments on specific industries.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading marketing information services company for the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy-related markets throughout the world. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, IIR provides accurate and timely intelligence featuring plant and project information databases, focused market databases, industry forecasting, key industry contacts, industry and territorial map products, direct marketing services and applications, and daily industry news. For more information send inquiries to alternativefuelsgroup@industrialinfo.com or visit us at www.industrialinfo.com.

Northern California Power Agency Member Uses Public-Private Partnerships to Reduce CO2 Emissions, Enhance Green Energy Usage

The City of Palo Alto recently celebrated its ranking as the number one renewable energy program in the U.S., according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). PaloAltoGreen, a voluntary green energy purchasing program, now boasts a membership of one in five ratepayers. While the national average for enrollment in similar programs is less than two percent, PaloAltoGreen saw a five percent membership increase in 2007. 

The City of Palo Alto, a leading member of the Northern California Power Agency (NCPA), launched PaloAltoGreen five years ago. For an additional 1.5 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), community ratepayers can volunteer to enroll in the green energy program. Annually, the City’s utility department purchases nearly 41.5 million kWh of clean energy, which offsets approximately 700 million pounds of harmful carbon dioxide.

“The City of Palo Alto is a leading example of the benefits of municipal utilities participating in green energy programs,” said Jim Pope, general manager of NCPA. “Renewable energy public-private partnerships enable municipal utilities to offer the type of smart green energy pricing programs that ratepayers more often respond to — and more importantly — are enormously effective in reducing CO2 emissions.”

The city estimates that the average additional residential monthly expense to ratepayers in the program is less than ten dollars a month to purchase 100 percent renewable energy. With the city’s emphasis on providing sustainable, reliable, and affordable electric power service, the participants in PaloAltoGreen, even after paying this premium, still pay less than the Pacific Gas & Electric Company standard rate.

Combining green energy purchasing policies with a simple enrollment plan, PaloAltoGreen demonstrates that increasing renewable energy usage and reducing greenhouse gas emissions can be economic and practical when the public and private sectors work together. The clean energy program attracts participation from business as well, with more than 100 local businesses participating in PaloAltoGreen.

PaloAltoGreen purchases a California blend of renewable energy from wind and solar generators in Davis, Pleasanton, San Ramon and Solano County. 97.5 percent of it is from wind with the remaining 2.5 percent from solar.

NREL, which is the nation’s primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development, releases “Top-10” rankings of the nation’s best performing renewable energy programs annually.

NCPA is a nonprofit California joint powers agency established in 1968 to generate, transmit, and distribute electric power to and on behalf of its fifteen members: the Cities of Alameda, Biggs, Gridley, Healdsburg, Lodi, Lompoc, Palo Alto, Redding, Roseville, Santa Clara, and Ukiah; the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), the Port of Oakland, the Truckee Donner Public Utility District, and the Turlock Irrigation District; and two associate members: the Placer County Water Agency and the Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative, serving nearly 700,000 electric consumers in Central and Northern California. For more information, please visit www.ncpa.com.

Puget Sound Energy [the utility subsidiary of Puget Energy (NYSE:PSD)] today issued two requests for proposals (RFPs) for expansion of the company’s already ambitious energy-efficiency programs and new power-supply acquisitions. 

The requests for outside proposals are a central part of the company’s ongoing effort to acquire the clean energy supply and the natural gas and electric transmission systems necessary to ensure reliable, stably priced energy supplies and utility service for its steadily growing customer base in Western Washington – a region whose population is expected to grow by 28 percent, or about 1 million people, over the next 20 years.

“Puget Sound Energy is fortunate to serve a vibrant, growing region,” said Kimberly Harris, PSE executive vice president and chief resource officer. “But all that growth brings with it a tremendous need for new energy resources. Our strategy is to cost-effectively meet growing energy needs through a balance of enhancing our energy-efficiency efforts and acquiring new energy supplies.”

Customer growth and the expiration of large purchased-power contracts in coming years are driving PSE’s need to acquire a large amount of new power supplies. The utility estimates it will need more than 1,600 average-megawatts (aMW) of new electricity supply in the next decade, and more than 2,600 aMW by 2025 – roughly equivalent to the power demand of two cities the size of Seattle.

Peak wintertime (January) electricity usage by PSE’s 1.04 million electric customers currently is about 3,200 aMW.

The first of the two RFPs seeks to broaden and expand PSE’s aggressive program for helping customers conserve energy. Under the utility’s 2007 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), PSE estimates that its energy-efficiency programs have the ability, by 2015, to help customers cut their electricity need by 314 aMW and their natural gas usage by approximately 21 million therms. The power savings would be sufficient to serve the electricity needs of about 237,000 households. The natural gas savings would meet the needs of more than 25,000 households.

PSE sees an opportunity over the next two decades to achieve more than 500 aMW of energy savings. A power-demand reduction of that size would avert the need to build two medium-sized natural gas-fired power plants.

Over the next two years, PSE plans to expand existing energy-efficiency programs for residential, commercial and industrial customers, and offer several new programs set to launch in 2008 and 2009. New offerings for residential customers include increased incentives for installing energy-efficient lighting fixtures and major appliances, in-home energy audits and electricity monitors. Small-business lighting rebates and financial incentives for all commercial and industrial customers also will be increased.

The second RFP asks outside power producers, marketers, and power-plant developers to help PSE procure up to 1,340 aMW of new electricity resources by 2015. Any type of power-generating fuel or technology is open for consideration. PSE will consider various contract arrangements, such as investment in existing power plants, ownership of new plants, or long-term power purchases.

“Our overriding goal is to keep costs for our customers as low as possible, while ensuring a reliable source of future energy that is compatible with environmental concerns,” Harris said. “Energy efficiency, wind and natural gas are all high on our list to meet that goal.”

The company in 2003 set a goal of securing 10 percent of its customers’ power supply from renewable sources by 2013. Since then, PSE has acquired its Wild Horse wind and solar facilities in Central Washington and Hopkins Ridge wind facility in Eastern Washington, which produce a combined 379 megawatts (MW) of power-generation capacity – enough to serve 100,000 homes.

The company’s latest resource plan suggests that 550 MW of additional wind power be added to PSE’s supply portfolio by 2015. To meet the 2006 voter mandates of Washington state Initiative 937 (the Energy Independence Act), PSE will need to acquire about 1,000 MW of renewable power by 2020.

A Jan. 23 conference for prospective RFP bidders will be held at PSE’s Bellevue campus to review the RFP requirements. Questions about bid submittals can be sent to Sheri Maynard at sheri.maynard@pse.com

About Puget Sound Energy

Washington state’s oldest and largest energy utility, with a 6,000-square-mile service territory stretching across 11 counties, Puget Sound Energy (PSE) serves more than 1 million electric customers and 721,000 natural gas customers primarily in the growing Puget Sound region of Western Washington. PSE, a subsidiary of Puget Energy (NYSE: PSD), meets the energy needs of its growing customer base through incremental, cost-effective energy conservation, low-cost procurement of sustainable energy resources, and far-sighted investment in the energy-delivery infrastructure. PSE employees are dedicated to providing great customer service to deliver energy that is safe, reliable, reasonably priced, and environmentally responsible. For more information, visit PSE.com.

Dutton Associates updates its coverage of China Solar & Clean Energy Solutions (OTCBB:CSOL) with a Strong Speculative Buy rating and a $5.46 price target. The 11-page report by Dutton senior analyst Paul J. Resnik, CFA is available at www.jmdutton.com as well as from First Call, Bloomberg, Zacks, Reuters, Knobias, and other leading financial portals. China Solar & Clean Energy Solutions is the new name of Deli Solar USA, an established and significant seller of solar water heaters and space-heating devices in the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”). The name change reflects the Company’s decision to expand into other areas of energy conservation. The well-documented need for China to turn to environmentally friendly energy sources to support its dramatic economic growth forms the basis for substantial opportunities in the alternative energy sector. China Solar’s solar water heating business is achieving solid gains as it expands its geographic footprint and market share in China. That market is benefiting not only from the need for alternative energy sources but also from the rapid growth of the middle class and a strong housing market in China. We project 44% earnings-per-share growth in 2007, and a gain of 53% in 2008, aided by internal growth and a recently completed major acquisition; yet the shares trade at less than 8x estimated 2008 EPS. Longer term, we believe that the Company’s interest in other alternative energy sectors further enhances China Solar’s growth potential. Based on “street” estimates for S&P’s 500 earnings in 2008, the S&P 500 P/E is currently about 14. Assigning this multiple to China Solar’s estimated 2008 EPS, despite the Company’s prospects for above-average growth, generates a 12-month price target of $5.46, over 55% above the current share price.

About Dutton Associates

Dutton Associates is one of the largest independent investment research firms in the U.S. Its 30 senior analysts are primarily CFAs and have expertise in many industries. Dutton & Associates provides continuing analyst coverage of over 140 enrolled companies, and its research, estimates, and ratings are carried in all the major databases serving institutions and online investors.

The cost of enrollment in our one-year continuing research program is US $35,000 prepaid for 4 Research Reports, typically published quarterly, and requisite Research Notes. Dutton Associates received $33,000 from the Company for 4 Research Reports with coverage commencing on 8/29/2005. We do not accept payment of our fees in company stock. Our principals and analysts are prohibited from owning or trading in securities of covered companies. The views expressed in this research report accurately reflect the analyst’s personal views about the subject securities or issuer. Neither the analyst’s compensation nor the compensation received by us is in any way related to the specific ratings or views contained in this research report or note. Please read full disclosures and analyst background at www.jmdutton.com before investing.

Solarfun Power Holdings Co. , Ltd. (NASDAQ: SOLF), an established manufacturer of photovoltaic (PV) cells, modules and ingots in China, today announced an update on polysilicon supply procurement and sales developments. The Company recently signed a 140 MW long-term wafer contract with WACKER SCHOTT Solar GmbH through Solarfun’s subsidiary, Solarfun Power Hong Kong Ltd. Deliveries will begin in 2008.

Chairman Lu added, “This new supply agreement, with deliveries beginning in 2008, continues our strategy to diversify and strengthen our non-domestic long-term supply needs with high-quality dependable suppliers.”

Solarfun also announced a reduction in expectations for polysilicon supply from Jiangsu Zhongneng PV Technology Development Co., Ltd., or Zhongneng, to its 52% subsidiary, Jiangsu Yangguang Solar Technology Co. Ltd. , or Yangguang Solar.

Yangguang Solar is a producer of monocrystalline ingots that was originally wholly controlled by Zhongneng. On June 6, 2007, Yangguang Solar was acquired by Nanjing Linyang Electric Investment Co., Ltd. and Lianyungang Suyuan Group Co., Ltd. A 52% interest in Yangguang Solar was subsequently transferred to the Company by Nanjing Linyang Electric Investment. In the June 6, 2007 share transfer agreement, Zhongneng agreed that it would deliver polysilicon to Yangguang Solar in the amount of 50 tons in 2007, 700 tons in 2008 and 1,200 tons in 2009. However, the actual delivered quantity was 27 tons in 2007, and based upon this decreased delivery volume in 2007, it is expected that the amounts to be delivered in 2008 and 2009 may be significantly less. Yangguang Solar is currently receiving polysilicon from Zhongneng based on purchase orders negotiated on a month-to-month basis. In light of this unfavorable situation, Nanjing Linyang Electric Investment, which is controlled by the Company’s Chairman, Yonghua Lu, and continues to own an 18% interest in Yangguang Solar, intends to negotiate for the originally committed polysilicon supply amount pursuant to the agreement. Moreover, Yangguang Solar has been aggressively pursuing polysilicon from other sources, including purchasing from the spot market.

Chairman Lu commented, “We are obviously disappointed in Zhongneng’s lack of commitment. However, we understood the risk given that they only started production in late September 2007, and we have worked hard to diversify our supplier base internationally and therefore reduce our risk over time. Examples of this are our recently announced agreement with Hoku Scientific in the United States and our new wafer agreements just announced with a large Korean supplier and WACKER SCHOTT Solar. Zhongneng’s shortfall in delivery during 2007 did not impact our ability to meet customer orders in the fourth quarter of 2007 and we believe we will be able to meet previously disclosed shipment targets.”

In addition, Solarfun signed a new contract with EDF Energies Nouvelles, a leading company in the green electricity generation market with activities in nine European countries and the United States. The contract includes a firm order for 17 MW of monocrystalline modules and an option for the sale of an additional 5 MW. This order was jointly placed with Photon Power Technologies, EDF Energies Nouvelles’ solar energy partner in France.

Chairman Lu commented, “This new contract with EDF EN adds increased visibility to our 2008 shipments. We are also quite pleased to add a meaningful new relationship with a world-class player in the renewable energy market.”

About Solarfun

Solarfun Power Holdings Co, Ltd. manufactures ingots and PV cells and modules and supplies solar system integration services in China. The Company produces both monocrystalline and multicrystalline silicon cells and modules, and manufactures 100% of its modules with in-house produced PV cells. Solarfun sells its products both through third-party distributors and directly to system integrators. The Company was founded in 2004 and its products have been certified to TUV and UL safety and quality standards. SOLF-G

http://www.solarfun.com.cn

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