Sure Power Corporation and Solara, Inc. Team to Cure Telecom Industry's Power Woes.

Business/Technology Editors

DANBURY, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 20, 2002

Sure Power Corporation, an ultra-high-availability power system provider, has teamed with Solara, Inc., a technical consulting firm to the telecom industry, to offer on-site electricity generation systems that will free businesses from a reliance on the existing utility grid.

Grid-Independent Power, Without Batteries

Solara will work with Sure Power to sell the company's patented, primary power systems to telecom facility operators, removing the need for back-up systems such as banks of lead-acid batteries. Batteries, which typically serve as the primary energy reserve system in telecom facilities, have a number of shortcomings, including: performance disputes between users and manufacturers; disposal, environmental and maintenance issues; and complex administrative costs. Moreover, battery footprint and weight can tie up precious floor space in a telecom facility and lead to costly building infrastructure modifications.

"Sure Power's systems are battery-free with an installed cost that is equal to or less than that of traditional grid-plus-back-up systems," says Bill Cratty, chief technology officer and co-founder of Sure Power Corporation. "Our systems produce what we call `24-by-7-by-forever' computer-grade electricity and cooling. Plus, they can operate indefinitely without any reliance on the existing utility grid because they utilize RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Devices) architecture configured around a proprietary DC bus system."

The systems, which are individualized to meet the specific needs of each telecom facility, produce power at the same or greater levels of availability as conventional grid-based power, including supplemental DC power supplies such as rectifiers, back-up batteries and generators. "High reliability is particularly valuable to telecom facilities, which must meet rigorous federal and state laws regulating availability of 911 and emergency services," says Bill Frederick, CEO of Sure Power.

AC and DC Power in a Single System

Sure Power's systems are the only power systems capable of supplying both DC power for telecom gear and AC power to run IT equipment like servers and computers.

"Telecom engineers have traditionally designed their systems based on a DC power standard, while IT and computer engineers have designed their systems based on the AC standard," says Kevin Fellhoelter, principal, Solara, Inc. "The recent convergence of the telecom and IT spheres, however, means that telecom facilities are faced with the challenge of powering both AC and DC systems at the high dependability levels required for telecom needs. Without Sure Power, two power systems are needed, one AC and one DC; an entire facility can now be powered by a single system, with much higher availability levels."

In addition to working with Sure Power to market its systems to telecom facilities, Solara will also work with major server manufacturers to develop new DC standards for powering data centers, getting away from the need to always convert from AC power to DC power within the server. This could help make servers smaller, use less power, and reduce thermal problems within individual devices.

About Solara, Inc.

Solara, Inc., based in Coppell, Tx., is a technical consulting firm and manufacturer's representative serving the power needs of the telecom and computer industries. Solara works with both telecom/computer service companies and their original equipment manufacturers to help them meet the complicated electricity requirements inherent in powering the digital revolution.

About Sure Power Corporation

Sure Power Corporation, headquartered in Danbury, Conn., is the on site primary power plant supplying computer-grade electricity and chilling at high availability levels. The patented SurePower(R) system, which guarantees 99.9999 percent reliability of computer-grade electricity (equivalent to a one percent chance of failure over 20 years), incorporates multiple generators such as turbines, fuel cells and gas reciprocating engines into standard configurations in which no single component can cause failure. The SurePower(R) system is guaranteed by an insurance policy and delivers better economic value than current grid-plus-back-up solutions. Sure Power provides users with substantially increased uptime, allowing for higher revenues and fewer unexpected losses. The company has partnerships with High-Point Rendel, R.W. Beck and Trane in the construction, planning and engineering of its systems. More information about Sure Power Corporation can be found at www.surepowersystem.com.

*SurePower is a registered trademark of Sure Power Corporation.