Speaking at Opening of Trade Show, Larry Hagman Urges Americans to Embrace Energy Security from U.S.-Made Solar, Unveils Ad Campaign, Accepts Panel Donation for Haiti
Larry Hagman, who starred as oil magnate J.R. Ewing in the long-running hit TV series "Dallas," today called on U.S. energy consumers to put their energy, economic and environmental security under their own power by embracing solar technology made by Americans.
Appearing at SolarWorld's invitation before the trade show Intersolar in San Francisco, Mr. Hagman outlined the fallout from the nation's over-dependence on fossil fuels that has mounted since J.R. debuted as a Texas tycoon in 1978. The nation has suffered oil-related price shocks, military conflicts and environmental disasters, including a Gulf of Mexico spill one dozen weeks old today. Moreover, its dependence on fossil fuels and foreign oil has steadily grown, and much of its manufacturing employment has shifted overseas.
Mr. Hagman invited consumers to embrace the U.S.-original energy alternative of high-performance solar panels made from scratch by Americans according to environmental, labor and quality standards. Well-made American solar – applicable from California to Maine, wherever energy is consumed – affordably hedges against rising electricity rates and price shocks. Its domestic production provides new, sustainable missions for jobless workers, including soldiers returning from two Mideast conflicts to a recessionary U.S. economy.
"When is long enough long enough? I say it's now – now it's enough," Mr. Hagman said in advance of the event. "We can't expect the government to pull a genie out of a bottle to ease Americans' addictions to fossil fuels. We need to take the lead in building a solar America. It's time to rise – and shine, baby, shine!"
Mr. Hagman unveiled a TV ad as part of a "Shine, baby, shine!" campaign (www.SolarWorld-USA.com/SHINE), which includes references to J.R. Ewing's oil business and Mr. Hagman's experience with solar. Mr. Hagman believes he owns the largest U.S. residential solar system, including SolarWorld's 240-watt panels.
Virtually six months to the day since an earthquake razed much of Haiti, Mr. Hagman also acted as a board member of the Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) in accepting SolarWorld's donation of 100 kilowatts of industry-leading panels to power at least five health clinics in Haiti. The nonprofit will work with international medical relief organization Partners in Health (PIH) on the Haiti projects. SolarWorld, SELF and PIH had joined together for a similar project at a clinic in Boucain-Carre, Haiti, in 2009.
SolarWorld is the largest and most experienced U.S. solar manufacturer. Its Camarillo, Calif., site dates to the late 1970s. The company also is culminating a project to establish 500 MW of annual production capacity and jobs for 1,000 Americans by Sept. 30. In January, the federal government granted $82.2 million in federal renewable-energy manufacturing tax credits – the largest for a solar manufacturer – to support the project.
To view the "Shine, baby, shine" ads and a Larry Hagman interview, go to www.SolarWorld-USA.com/shine
About the SolarWorld group
The SolarWorld group (ISIN: DE0005108401) is a worldwide leader in offering brand-name, high-quality, crystalline solar-power technology. Its strength is its fully integrated solar production. From silicon as the raw material through wafers, cells and modules all the way to turn-key solar systems, including recycling, the group combines all stages of the solar value chain. The central business activity is selling quality modules into the installation and distribution trades and crystalline wafers to the international solar cell industry. Group headquarters are located in Bonn, Germany. Production sites are to be found in Germany, the United States and South Korea. The group's largest production facilities operate in Freiberg, Germany and Hillsboro in the U.S. state of Oregon. Sustainability is the basis of the group strategy. Under the name Solar2World, the group supports care projects using off-grid solar-power solutions in emerging economies and developing countries, exemplifying sustainable economic development. Worldwide, SolarWorld employs more than 2,700 people. SolarWorld AG has been quoted on the stock exchange since 1999 and today is listed on, among others, the TecDAX, ÖkoDAX, Dow Jones STOXX 600 as well as in the sustainability indices DAXglobal Alternative Energy and NAI.
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Contacts:
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Ben Santarris
Public Relations
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503-693-5189
Mobile: 503-927-9858
ben.santarris@solarworld-usa.com
