Pathmark Partners With Northern Power to Install Systems

Northern Power, a subsidiary of Distributed Energy Systems Corp. (Nasdaq: DESC), has been awarded a contract by Pathmark Stores, Inc. (Nasdaq: PTMK) to provide three turnkey photovoltaic (PV) systems to Pathmark’s Garwood, Elizabeth, and Lawnside, New Jersey, supermarkets. The turnkey systems, which will have a total capacity of 750 kilowatts, will be designed, built and commissioned by Northern Power in association with New Jersey-based BGA LLC Engineering.

The design and efficiencies of Northern Power’s turnkey PV systems are in compliance with the requirements of the New Jersey Clean Energy Program (NJCEP) and are expected to qualify for the NJCEP Customer Onsite Renewable Energy (CORE) rebate program, a financial incentive that would reduce Pathmark’s cost by more than $2.5 million. In addition to the rebate, the systems will also generate solar renewable energy certificates (SRECs), which the state’s utilities and other electric suppliers are required to purchase in order to comply with the New Jersey Renewable Portfolio Standard. Northern Power will purchase the SRECs from Pathmark at a guaranteed price per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for five years. The systems will also qualify for 30% federal investment tax credits and federal accelerated depreciation tax benefits.

Northern Power will design and build three separate 250-kilowatt PV systems on the roof of each of the three Pathmark supermarkets. Each system will utilize a 20-degree, no-penetration roof mounting system designed to maximize overall electricity output. The contract includes a five-year warranty on the systems, and a 25-year warranty on the PV modules.

The PV Systems will also feature Northern Power’s SmartView(TM) Remote Monitoring system to gather performance data, provide real-time preventative maintenance updates and track output for compliance with the NJCEP SREC trading program.

Darren Jamison, President of Northern Power stated: “Pathmark’s decision to install the PV systems is evidence of a growing trend of companies turning to renewable and on-site generation in the face of rising energy prices and increasing volatility in energy markets.”

The Pathmark solar energy systems are estimated to prevent a total of 858 tons of carbon dioxide and four tons of sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide from entering the atmosphere annually. According to statistics published by the US Environmental Protection Agency, removing this amount of harmful greenhouse gases from the air is approximately the equivalent of eliminating 148 cars per year from the road, or annually planting 5,781 acres of trees.