Geneva, Switzerland
June 16, 2004

U.S. MISSION GENEVA ANNOUNCES THREE SWISS COMPANIES WILL BUILD SOLAR ENERGY PROJECT

A unique Swiss and American public-private sector partnership

The United States Government has awarded a $1,298,000 contract to three Swiss companies to install a fully-integrated 950 square meter solar energy system on the building of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva. Attractive photovoltaic panels will be installed over the façade and roof of the Mission building (the first at a U.S. diplomatic post), producing sustainable green electric power.

The contract was awarded by the Government’s Regional Procurement Support Office in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, on June 9, 2004 to three Swiss companies: SunTechnics (Project Leader) www.suntechnics.ch, Enecolo (Logistics and Field Management) www.enecolo.ch, and BE Netz (Structural and Installation) www.benetz.ch. Construction is expected to begin in July of this year, and to be completed in November. At peak capacity, the installation is expected to produce 118 kilowatts, enough energy to power 37 average homes.

The project is the result of a unique Swiss and American public-private sector partnership initiated by Ambassador Kevin E. Moley, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva. The partnership brings together the U.S. Mission, Geneva’s Service Cantonal de l’Energie (ScanE) and the Services Industriels de Genève (SIG).