Offsetting 50% of Granite's mining power requirements in Coalinga with clean energy

Coalinga, CA, April 25, 2011 - Solar Frontier announced today that it has signed an agreement with Granite Construction Incorporated to provide 1.2 megawatts of thin-film CIS technology at Granite's aggregate and hot mix facility in Coalinga, California. The solar panels, which are now on site awaiting for installation, will produce 50% of the total energy requirement of the facility. The amount of solar energy provided for this mining facility represents the largest of its kind to date in the United States.

The agreement is in line with Solar Frontier's strategy to work with clients who are leaders in their fields, supporting renewable energy initiatives. With such opportunities in mind, Solar Frontier established an Americas office in California in 2010 that serves as a sales and support hub for distribution of solar modules from state-of-the-art, gigawatt-scale manufacturing facilities in Miyazaki, Japan. Since commercialization in 2007, Solar Frontier's CIS panels have gained a reputation for cost efficiency and dependability in a range of applications from large-scale ground-mount to commercial and residential rooftops.

"Granite Construction offered Solar Frontier Americas a great opportunity to demonstrate superior economical and ecological benefits," said Solar Frontier VP and COO, Greg Ashley. "We were asked to present a business case where environmental concerns were a key driver, and Solar Frontier demonstrates that, more than ever, the ecological solution is the economical solution."

About Granite Construction
Granite Construction Incorporated is a member of the S&P 400 Midcap Index, the FTSE KLD 400 Social Index and the Russell 2000 Index. Granite Construction Company, a wholly owned subsidiary, is one of the nation's largest diversified heavy civil contractors and construction materials producers. Granite Construction Company serves public- and private-sector clients through its offices and subsidiaries nationwide. For more information about Granite, please visit its website at www.graniteconstruction.com.


About Solar Frontier
Solar Frontier, a 100% subsidiary of Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K., established the world's first gigawatt-scale CIS module factory in 2011 with a mission to create the most economical, ecological solar energy solutions in the world, on the world's largest scale. Solar Frontier's proprietary CIS technology, denoting key ingredients copper, indium, and selenium (in addition to gallium and sulfur), has the best overall potential to set the world's most enduring standard for solar energy. This is based on our legacy of work in solar technology since the 1970s, the priority focus our laboratories have given to CIS since 1993, and our success in large scale CIS commercialization since 2007. The critical factors that combine to make CIS the overall economical and ecological leader include high efficiency modules and production processes as well as superior reliability, stability, sustainability, non-toxicity, and lower overall energy consumption in manufacturing to yield a faster energy payback time. These factors at gigawatt scale enable Solar Frontier to meet worldwide demand for the new standard in affordable solar panel performance. Visit www.solar-frontier.com for more information.


Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K.
Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K. is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and has roots dating back more than 100 years in the downstream energy business.




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