ChevronTexaco Installs California's First Solar Project to Power Oil Production

BAKERSFIELD, Calif., June 5, 2003 -- ChevronTexaco today announced that its energy services subsidiary, Chevron Energy Solutions, (Chevron ES), has completed installation of the first solar photovoltaic facility in California to help power oil field operations. At 500 kilowatts, the demonstration project is one of the largest photovoltaic installations in the United States and the largest array of flexible, amorphous-silicon solar technology in the world.

The new six-acre facility, called Solarmine, resulted from the collaboration of ChevronTexaco and United Solar Systems Corp. (Uni-Solar), a subsidiary of Michigan-based Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (ECD). The solar panels are manufactured by Uni-Solar and marketed under the UNI-SOLAR® brand. ChevronTexaco owns 20 percent of ECD.

Located about 40 miles from Bakersfield in California's San Joaquin Valley, the project is connected to the local electric distribution system and provides power to oil-well pumping units and processing plants in ChevronTexaco's Midway-Sunset oil field.

The facility is comprised of 4,800 flexible, current-producing solar panels, each about 1.3 feet wide by 18 feet long, mounted on metal frames that resemble car ports. Unlike glass-based photovoltaic systems, the amorphous-silicon technology-based panels can withstand direct impact and puncture without compromising their ability to generate power. As a result, the panels are candidates for commercial roofing and other large applications that require flexibility and resilience.

“This project allows ChevronTexaco the opportunity to demonstrate the viability of a new solar technology for certain commercial and industrial applications, including oil field operations,” said Jim Davis, president of Chevron Energy Solutions, a ChevronTexaco energy services subsidiary that provided technical assistance and training for the project. “It also has given us valuable experience in the design and development of photovoltaic systems for the businesses and institutions we serve.”

Chevron Energy Solutions will review the facility's output to learn how environmental factors such as heat and dust affect the technology's performance.

“The completion of this project is an important milestone in the development of thin-film solar energy solutions,” said Stanford Ovshinsky, chairman and CEO of United Solar and president and CEO of ECD. “This facility is a good example of how this solar technology has quickly matured and become a viable solution for commercial and industrial situations requiring high-energy production.”

Uni-Solar, building on technology invented and pioneered by ECD, is a leader in thin-film amorphous photovoltaics. ECD and Uni-Solar hold the basic patents covering the continuous roll-to-roll manufacturing of thin-film amorphous silicon alloy multi-junction solar cells and related products.

ChevronTexaco is the second largest U.S.-based energy company and the fifth largest publicly traded integrated oil and gas company in the world, based on market capitalization. Headquartered in San Ramon, Calif., the company is involved in every aspect of the energy industry, including exploration, production, refining, equity gas marketing and transportation, power generation and energy services.

San Francisco-based Chevron Energy Solutions provides comprehensive services that help businesses and institutions use less energy and pay less for energy, and that ensure reliable, high quality power for critical operations. Its offerings include energy information management, energy efficiency upgrades, and power quality and reliability solutions, including distributed generation.

For more information about ChevronTexaco, Chevron Energy Solutions and Uni-Solar, please visit their web sites at www.chevrontexaco.com, www.chevronenergy.com and www.uni-solar.com, respectively.

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Contacts:
Diane Sable, Chevron Energy Solutions: (415) 733-4629
Mario Hertegonne, Uni-Solar: (248) 364-5700
Nadia Jamshidi or Rachel Allen, McGrath/Power, ECD: (408) 727-0351

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