—Sustainable energy generation goal is to meet power demands for all 49ers regular season home games—

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul. 17, 2014-- Today, NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG), the Santa Clara Stadium Authority and the San Francisco 49ers celebrated the completion of the NRG Solar Terrace as well as the photovoltaic (PV) solar systems for the three NRG Energy Bridges at Levi’s^® Stadium, making it the first stadium in the United States that is home to a professional football team with LEED certification standards incorporated into the original design and architecture. Among the installations are solar panels expected to generate enough energy annually to offset the power consumed at the stadium during 49ers regular season home games, with the goal to achieve a “net zero” energy use.

Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, CA (Photo:Business Wire)

“It is reassuring to know that when leading franchises like the 49ers with a rich tradition of innovation and success decide to embrace clean energy, they turn to NRG,” said David Crane, President and CEO of NRG. “We are pleased to help the 49ers turn their new state-of-the-art stadium into a model for others as we reach for the clean energy future.”

A beacon of innovation in every respect, Levi’s Stadium will be powered with assistance from a 375 kW solar installation, comprised of more than 1,150 solar panels along the NRG Solar Terrace and three NRG Energy Bridges. SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR), the exclusive solar technology partner to the new stadium, supplied its high efficiency, E20/327-watt solar panels for the NRG Energy Bridges and the NRG Solar Terrace. Serving as the main entry and exit avenues to the stadium, the bridges showcase the customizable design of NRG renewable solutions and will provide shade on warm game days. The bridges also serve as inspiration for anyone seeking sustainable energy solutions for themselves on a smaller-scale.

“The vision for an energy-efficient and visually-stunning stadium has been realized,” said San Francisco 49ers President Paraag Marathe. “We’ve never strayed from what we wanted Levi’s^® Stadium to represent and that is a place to comfortably enjoy exciting sports and entertainment events and a venue that sparks a new view of what sustainability and being environmentally conscious can look like.”

NRG has also installed six eVgo electric vehicle charging stations in the Great America parking lot which have the ability to charge up to 12 vehicles. These chargers will become part of the NRG eVgo^® network that supports charging needs for electric vehicle drivers at home, at work, on the road, at their apartment community or even at the airport.

Levi’s^® Stadium is one of seven stadiums used for college or professional football where NRG has installed its smart energy solutions. Other venues, including NRG Stadium, FedExField, Lincoln Financial Field, MetLife Stadium, Patriot Place and Arizona State’s Sun Devil Stadium have partnered with NRG to push the clean energy movement forward and create structures that generate and thrive from their own on-site energy generation. As the sustainable energy partner of the 49ers, NRG will continue to explore other opportunities to help enhance the stadium’s sustainability efforts.

About NRG

NRG is leading a customer-driven change in the U.S. energy industry by delivering cleaner and smarter energy choices, while building on the strength of the nation’s largest and most diverse competitive power portfolio. A Fortune 250 company, we create value through reliable and efficient conventional generation while driving innovation in solar and renewable power, electric vehicle ecosystems, carbon capture technology and customer-centric energy solutions. Our retail electricity providers serve almost 3 million residential and commercial customers throughout the country. More information is available at www.nrg.com. Connect with NRG Energy on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @nrgenergy.

About Levi’s^® Stadium

Levi’s® Stadium will be the new home to the San Francisco 49ers, and will also serve as one of the world’s best outdoor sports and entertainment venues. It was designed by HNTB and is being built by Turner/Devcon for the Santa Clara Stadium Authority. The $1.2 billion venue will have 1.85 million square feet, seat approximately 68,500 and feature 170 luxury suites and 9,000 club seats. It was designed to be a multi-purpose facility with the flexibility to host a wide range of events, including domestic and international soccer, college football, motocross, concerts and various civic events, and will be expandable for major events such as the Super Bowl. Levi's® Stadium is owned by the Santa Clara Stadium Authority, a public joint powers authority that was established to provide for development and operation of Levi's® Stadium to ensure that the stadium serves the goals of the City of Santa Clara. For more information, go to www.LevisStadium.com.

NRG Safe Harbor Disclosure

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions and include NRG’s expectations regarding the Company’s Levi’s Stadium solar project and forward-looking statements typically can be identified by the use of words such as “will,” “expect,” “believe,” and similar terms. Although NRG believes that its expectations are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these expectations will prove to have been correct, and actual results may vary materially. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated above include, among others, general economic conditions, hazards customary in the power industry, competition in wholesale power markets, the volatility of energy and fuel prices, failure of customers to perform under contracts, changes in the wholesale power markets, changes in government regulation of markets and of environmental emissions, and our ability to achieve the expected benefits and timing of our renewable projects. NRG undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The foregoing review of factors that could cause NRG’s actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in the forward-looking statements included in this news release should be considered in connection with information regarding risks and uncertainties that may affect NRG’s future results included in NRG’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140717005282/en/

Source: NRG Energy, Inc.

NRG Energy
Jeff Holland, 760-710-3828
Jeff.Holland@nrgenergy.com
or
San Francisco 49ers
Roger Hacker, 408-986-4890
Roger.Hacker@49ers.com