Petra Solar Named Winner In Smart Grid & Clean Tech Categories For American Technology Awards

(South Plainfield, NJ - June 16, 2011) Petra Solar, a NJ based technology company committed to advancing global production of renewable energy, helping the electric supply industry develop a smarter and more stable electric grid, and creating jobs in clean energy, has been named the winner in both the Smart Grid & Smart Instruments category and the Clean Tech/Green Tech category of the TechAmerica Foundation's American Technology Awards. Both awards were attributed to the SunWave™ system, a unique and innovative Smart Solar solution that combines distributed solar energy generation with Smart Grid communications and improved grid reliability features to create a premium utility grade solution. Nominations for The American Technology Awards "The Termans" were vetted by industry experts and technology companies. These awards have been named after Frederick Terman who is widely credited as being the father of Silicon Valley.

"As innovator of the SunWave system, a Smart Solar technology that uniquely combines solar energy generation with Smart Grid communications features, we are grateful to be selected as the winner in both categories. This recognition further establishes Petra Solar as a thought leader in both Smart Grid and solar technology," said Dr. Shihab Kuran, CEO and President of Petra Solar. "It is fitting that these awards were presented in Washington D.C., our nation's capital, where the White House, Department of Energy, and Congress have recently highlighted the priority of modernizing the electric grid and its importance to economic competitiveness and a cleaner energy system."

Petra Solar believes in public/private partnerships that can put Americans to work, implement a sustainable, smarter and more reliable electric grid, and upgrade our power infrastructure to meet the needs of the 21st century. Through collaborative efforts with the U.S. Department of Energy, academia, research and development institutes, industry, government, banking and legal and regulatory decision makers, Petra Solar has been working to usher in a new era of power generation here in the U.S. and around the globe.

"We had a lot of nominations for these prestigious awards, and we congratulate Petra Solar for their winning achievement," said Senator Bob Bennett, Chairman for TechAmerica Foundation. "TechAmerica Foundation is excited to highlight Petra Solar as it continues to influence technology development throughout the rest of the world."

The American Technology Awards were presented for each of following segments of the technology industry: Aerospace and Defense; Clean Tech/Green Tech/Smart Grid; Cloud Computing/Software as a Service; Computers and Peripherals; Consumer Electronics; Cyber Security and Authentication; Electronic Components; Internet Services; Measurement and Control Instruments; Medical Devices; Server & Storage Technology; Software; Technology Consulting; Technology Services; and Telecommunications. Additional award categories include: Breakthrough Technology; Corporate Leadership; and Government Technology Executive of the Year.

Finalists in the Clean Tech and Smart Grid categories were Petra Solar; First Solar; MJSI, Inc.; Streetline, Inc.; SmartSynch,Inc .; Trilliant Inc.; and Tropos Networks.

The winners were announced on June 15 at the TechAmerica Foundation's ninth annual Technology and Government Dinner which has been a premier Washington, D.C. networking event bringing hundreds of industry, congressional and government leaders together at one venue to celebrate the partnership between industry and government.

"We are so proud to see one of our own honored at the nationally recognized American Technology Awards," said Maxine Ballen, President and CEO of the New Jersey Technology Council.

For more information, please visit www.techamericafoundation.org/thetermans.

About Petra Solar:
Petra Solar, founded in 2006 by CEO and President Dr. Kuran, has pioneered new technology that combines distributed solar energy generation with Smart Grid communications and improved grid reliability features to create a utility grade solution that delivers the highest economic value for solar power. Petra Solar's innovative SunWave™ system provides distributed clean energy that ties directly into the electric grid, and does not require an upgrade to either the current transmission or distribution infrastructure, eliminating grid interconnection issues faced by traditional solar systems. One of the key advantages of the Petra Solar solution is its flexible grid integration architecture that enables installation on existing assets that can hold one or more solar modules such as utility and streetlight poles, rooftops, and other available structures. In addition, the SunWave distributed solar and Smart Grid technology prevents instabilities caused by intermittent renewable energy sources, which enables utilities to maintain high power quality for electric customers as solar deployment growth accelerates. Petra Solar's success is the culmination of more than 18 years of research and development. For more information about Petra Solar visitwww.petrasolar.com.

About TechAmerica Foundation:
TechAmerica Foundation educates industry executives, policy makers and opinion leaders on the promise of technological innovation to advance prosperity, security and the general welfare. Launched in 2009, the Foundation is a 501c(3) non-profit, non-partisan affiliate of TechAmerica, which is the leading voice and resource for the U.S. technology industry. The Foundation disseminates award-winning industry, policy and market research covering topics such as U.S. competitiveness in a global economy, innovation in government, and other areas of national interest. It also organizes conferences and seminars to explore pertinent issues with government and industry representatives and to share the Foundation's findings. Learn more about TechAmerica Foundation at www.techamericafoundation.org.

For more information: 
Petra Solar:
Mary Grikas
Vice President Communications 
Phone: 732.429.3908
Email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

TechAmerica Foundation:
Anne Caliguiri Savoie 
Phone: 703.284.5305 
Email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it