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GENEVA, Dec. 6, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SunPower Corp. (Nasdaq: SPWRA, SPWRB) has announced the construction of a 1-megawatt solar power system on the roof of the Masdar Institute building, Masdar City, located on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi. The system is installed on a canopy structure that provides shade for the roof terrace as well as clean, renewable solar power for the facility.

"The Masdar Institute building is the first to be completed in Masdar City. The sophisticated campus provides the ideal setting to drive real innovation and a concrete path to the technologies critical to powering tomorrow," said Alan Frost, Director of Masdar City. "With its reputation for reliable, high quality technology, SunPower's high-efficiency solar panels were selected to maximize the solar power generated by the system and achieve our renewable energy goals."

"The Masdar Institute is the nucleus of research and development activities in Masdar City and has a key role in the development of the city," said SunPower Managing Director Jorn Jurgens. "SunPower is pleased to be part of this groundbreaking project, helping Masdar City to achieve their renewable energy goals with SunPower E19 solar panels, which deliver record-breaking efficiency of at least 19.3 percent in standard conditions."

SunPower has more than 1 gigawatt of solar technology installed on homes, businesses and power plants worldwide.

About Masdar Institute of Science and Technology

Designed by Fosters + Partners, the Masdar Institute building is the first completed building at Masdar City and a model of sustainability. The Masdar Institute campus, which consists of a main building, a knowledge centre and student quarters will use significantly less energy and water than business as usual. In particular, the residential quarters of the complex are designed to use around 51 percent less energy than average buildings in the United Arab Emirates, and 54 percent less water than conventional buildings of its size. The building is wired throughout with an energy metering system that monitors energy consumption and produces data that is easily accessible to students and faculty for use as a research tool. The building incorporates a wide range of emerging green building technologies that will be evaluated, with the building itself serving as a test bed for technologies that will help Masdar City achieve its sustainability goals.

The Masdar Institute aims to provide a world-class research and education environment that attracts and nurtures future leaders and critical thinkers in science and technology with a particular focus on advanced energy and sustainability.

About Masdar City

Masdar City is an emerging global clean-technology cluster located in what aims to be one of the world's most sustainable urban developments powered by renewable energy. This special economic zone billion free zone located about 17km from downtown Abu Dhabi will eventually be home to companies, researchers, and academics from across the globe, creating an international hub for companies and organisations focused on renewable energy and clean technologies.

It is a city where current and future technologies will be funded, researched, developed, tested and commercialised. Leading multinational companies in the cleantech sector, as well as small- and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurial start-ups will locate sales and marketing offices, demonstration centres, research and development labs and headquarters in the city.

About SunPower

Founded in 1985, SunPower Corp. (Nasdaq: SPWRA, SPWRB) designs, manufactures and delivers the planet's most powerful solar technology broadly available today. Residential, business, government and utility customers rely on the company's experience and proven results to maximize return on investment. With headquarters in San Jose, Calif., SunPower has offices in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. For more information, visit www.sunpowercorp.com.

SunPower is a registered trademark of SunPower Corp.  All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE SunPower Corp.