Solar Integrated Completes Major Solar Roofing Install for Frito-Lay

Frito-Lay Expands Commitment to Green Energy and Produces Significant Savings

Los Angeles, CA, January 20, 2004 - Solar Integrated Technologies (SIT), a manufacturer of proprietary photovoltaic (PV) roofing systems, today announced completion of its first fully integrated solar electric roofing system at the 67,000 square foot Frito-Lay distribution center in Torrance, CA.  

Businesses today are continually seeking out ways to cut energy costs and improve profits.   As a market leader, Frito-Lay is expanding its commitment to green energy with the decision to go for a solar electric roofing system at its bustling distribution center.   The company expects to significantly reduce operating expenses, conserve energy and maintain its identity as an environmentally conscious corporate organization. Since installation began last May, Frito-Lay's newly installed PV solar roofing system has already saved the company thousands of dollars while generating tens of thousands of kilowatt-hours in clean renewable energy.     

Frito-Lay selected SIT's new lightweight, flexible SR2001 solar electric roofing system that generates at peak approximately 100 kilowatts of solar direct-current electricity. This translates into roughly 186,000 kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually ¾ enough electricity to power 28 homes.   Further, the new system dramatically decreases the production of CO2 emissions by decreasing the customer's demand for peak power provided by centralized fossil fuel burning utilities.   

"SIT's solar roofing system will provide Frito-Lay with 20 plus years of energy conservation and millions of dollars in savings," said Ed Stevenson, CEO of SIT.   "Companies like Frito-Lay that see the enormous value in converting to solar PV are creating a better world for generations of families to come. Given this nation's continued dependency on fossil fuels, it is predicted that we will pierce the safe limits of climate change in less than 40 years.   The consequences of this are unacceptable."

The SR2001 combines twelve flexible photovoltaic modules fully integrated into a single roof panel that produces 1,536 watts of electricity from the sun.   Seventy such panels covering roughly 30,000 square feet of roof area create 100 kilowatts of clean power for 5 to 6 hours daily.   This capacity is critically important during peak times of the day when energy from public utility sources has become both scarce and prohibitively expensive.  

About Frito-Lay

Frito-Lay is the convenient fun foods division of PepsiCo, Inc., which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. Frito-Lay makes and sells some of America's favorite snack brands including Lay's potato chips, Ruffles potato chips, Doritos tortilla chips, Tostitos tortilla chips and Cheetos cheese-flavored snacks. The company also offers a wide variety of low-fat, reduced fat and no-fat snacks like Baked! Doritos tortilla chips, Baked! Lay's potato crisps, Baked! Ruffles potato crisps, Baked! Tostitos tortilla chips, Ruffles Reduced Fat potato crisps, its WOW! line of snacks, and Rold Gold pretzels. The company also makes and sells Cracker Jack snacks, Quaker Chewy granola bars, Quaker Fruit and Oatmeal bars, and Quakes rice snacks.