Gladstone, Ore. – February 13, 2009 – Kraxberger Middle School received an electrifying gift earlier this year. During the school's annual "Success Celebration," teachers, students, parents and the community are invited to learn what the school is so charged up about.

On February 19, 6:30 p.m., Kraxberger Middle School, 17777 Webster Road, Gladstone, will unveil its new 1.1 kilowatt solar electric system and educational kiosk installed at the school, thanks to the hard work and generosity of students at Gladstone High School and support from Energy Trust of Oregon, Portland General Electric and Bonneville Environmental Foundation. Tours of the solar energy system will begin at 6:45 p.m. The event will also highlight achievements of students at the school.

Gladstone High School students won the solar panels by selling more than 1,000 energy-efficient light bulbs and winning Energy Trust's Change A Light, Change the World contest. At the time of the award, Gladstone High School had plans to install a bigger system at its school and decided to give the 1.1 kW solar electric system to Kraxberger Middle School.

Teachers say they are thrilled to have the solar panels. "Any time we can show students how to generate power without polluting the environment or shipping the fuel from overseas, it is important," said Todd Dauenhauer, a science teacher at the middle school. "Our country needs to become more energy independent and use more renewables like solar and wind."

Teachers will incorporate the data generated from the project into lesson plans about solar and other forms of renewable energy. Cloudy days, sunny days and temperature changes will affect the energy output of the solar panels. By conducting experiments using these variables and others, students will be able to learn about solar energy in a hands-on environment.

The solar panel installation at Kraxberger Middle School is the first renewable energy system at the school and one of seven projects installed in Portland metro schools through a collaboration between Energy Trust, Portland General Electric and Bonneville Environmental Foundation. The other metro-area schools are H.B. Lee Middle School, Cleveland High School, Lincoln High School, Molalla High School, Sunnyside Environmental School, da Vinci Arts Middle School, Rosa Parks Elementary School and, with added support from SolarWorld USA, German American School of Portland.

About the PV and Monitoring Systems
The photovoltaic system includes six Schott SAPC 170 watt modules, allowing for a peak capacity of approximately 1,020 watts. One Fronius IG 2500LV power inverter converts the DC output from the solar panels to useable AC power. The system is expected to generate more than 1,000 kilowatt hours of renewable electricity per year. The data acquisition and monitoring system, from Fat Spaniel Technologies, Inc., allows students to monitor current and historical energy production and weather conditions. See real-time data for Kraxberger Middle School at www.solar4rschools.org.

About Energy Trust of Oregon
Energy Trust of Oregon, Inc., is a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing how Oregonians use energy by promoting energy efficiency and clean renewable energy for Oregon customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural and Cascade Natural Gas. For more information, visit Energy Trust's Web site, www.energytrust.org, or call 1-866-368-7878. Through its support of Solar 4R Schools, Energy Trust supports Oregon's clean energy future.

About Portland General Electric Company
Portland General Electric, headquartered in Portland, Ore., is a fully integrated electric utility that serves approximately 810,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Oregon. The company supports the community through a variety of innovative philanthropic, volunteer and environmental stewardship efforts. Visit www.PortlandGeneral.com.

About Solar 4R Schools
Solar 4R Schools (S4RS), developed and managed by the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF), fosters knowledge and excitement about renewable energy technology by delivering hands-on experience with solar electric systems to students, parents, educators, utilities, installers and municipalities throughout the United States. The most comprehensive solar schools program in the country, S4RS provides curriculum and real-time data monitoring, and has installed solar electric systems in nearly 100 schools nationwide. BEF supports this program and other renewable energy and watershed restoration projects with revenues generated by the sale of carbon offsets and renewable energy certificates (RECs), and through direct partnerships with sustainably focused funding partners.