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To: Larry S. who wrote (254)	2/24/2006 10:59:15 AM
From: gg cox	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 413

24 February 2006 Australian Stock Exchange Limited Company Announcements Office Dear Sir: Further Sale of VRB System Confirmed The Directors of Pinnacle VRB Ltd (“Pinnacle”) are delighted to confirm the second sale in Australia of the new 10kWh “packaged” vanadium redox battery energy storage system (“VRB-ESS™”) distributed under license from VRB Power Systems Inc. The 10kWh system is the first to be supplied through ES Link Power Pty Ltd following the signing of a strategic alliance agreement by the two companies in the latter part of last year. The VRB system, which is suited to a wide range of domestic, small business and light commercial applications, has been purchased as part of an off-grid Remote Area Power Supply (“RAPS”) system for a 30 hectare rural property southwest of Hobart in Tasmania. The sale also marks a significant first for the VRB system in that the client has successfully applied for and had approved a grant under the Federal Government’s Renewable Remote Power Generation Programme (“RRPGP”) which is administered by the Office of Energy Planning and Conservation in the Tasmanian Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources. The sale therefore confirms the arrival of the 10kWh VRB system as a viable energy storage solution for domestic and small business consumers. The RAPS system, which has been designed and will be installed through Pinnacle’s strategic alliance with ES Link Power Pty Ltd (who trade as “Power Plus” in Hobart), will use a combination of solar photovoltaic panels and a spring water fed micro-hydro turbine as complementary renewable energy sources that will be coupled to the VRB-ESS™ through a Selectronic PS1 interactive inverter charger. John Clark, the property’s owner has been closely following VRB technology since Pinnacle installed Australia’s first commercial scale 800kWh VRB system on King Island in 2003. “I was looking for a reliable, long life energy storage system that could best overcome the obvious deficiencies of lead acid batteries, exploit the multiple renewable energy resources available on our property and be easily expanded in line with our future plans. Dollar for dollar, we found it readily apparent that the VRB-ESS™ provides a much higher usable storage capacity and longer life than lead acid systems and is much more tolerant of wide variations in operating conditions. The high efficiency of the energy storage system means that much more of the power generated by our microhydro turbine and solar panels, backed up by a bio-diesel fuelled generator, becomes available to us as green energy allowing us to operate as a normal 240VAC household, office and workshop.” - 2 - Throughout the search for a new RAPS system, Power Plus staff in Hobart worked closely with Mr Clark. Garry Yost, Power Plus Operations Manager said “The unique two way power capabilities of the Selectronic PS1 inverter charger allowed our system designers to fully exploit the excellent overload and fast recharge characteristics of the VRB-ESS™. This means shorter run times at optimum load factors if a diesel generator is required to supplement the renewable energy generation capacity and translates into lower running and maintenance costs with considerably less pollution. Integrating the VRB-ESS™ and the Selectronic PS1 will provide an all round win-win solution for our RAPS system clients.” Colin Andrews, Executive Director of Pinnacle says “It is good to see system designers beginning to fully appreciate the economic and environmental advantages of the new VRB-ESS™. The VRB system provides independently scaleable power and energy storage capacity features which can be optimally matched with the Australian designed and manufactured Selectronic PS1 inverter range, meaning that we are now able to offer one of the best and most economic long-term integrated power conditioning and energy storage solutions available to the small RAPS system market in Australia.” “Perhaps just as importantly for Pinnacle, the sale has seen the VRB-ESS™ receive formal recognition as a component in a renewable generation scheme that is eligible for RRPGP grant assistance. Such government programmes are vital to companies like ours who are bringing new technology to the Australian energy storage market, and will encourage other clients to utilise the VRB system in their energy generation schemes.” The Directors of Pinnacle also wish to advise that further announcements concerning sales, supply and demand side joint ventures, contracts and relationships will be forthcoming. Yours Faithfully, PINNACLE VRB LIMITED stockhouse.ca

To: Larry S. who wrote (254)	2/27/2006 10:41:28 AM
From: gg cox	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 413

SA solar research eclipses rest of the world VRB excerpt ""While South African scientists developed and patented the new, super-effective alloy solar panels, other companies have developed new, super-efficient storage batteries and special converters to change the energy into the power source of a particular country (220 volts in South Africa). "" homeimprover.co.za writes "In a scientific breakthrough that has stunned the world, a team of South African scientists has developed a revolutionary new, highly efficient solar power technology that will enable homes to obtain all their electricity from the sun. This means high electricity bills and frequent power failures could soon be a thing of the past. The unique South African-developed solar panels will make it possible for houses to become completely self-sufficient for energy supplies. The panels are able to generate enough energy to run stoves, geysers, lights, TVs, fridges, computers - in short all the mod-cons of the modern house. The new technology should be available in South Africa within a year and through a special converter, energy can be fed directly into the wiring of existing houses. New powerful storage units will allow energy storage to meet demands even in winter. The panels are so efficient they can operate through a Cape Town winter. while direct sunlight is ideal for high-energy generation, other daytime light also generates energy via the panels. A team of scientists led by University of Johannesburg (formerly Rand Afrikaans University) scientist Professor Vivian Alberts achieved the breakthrough after 10 years of research. The South African technology has now been patented across the world. One of the world leaders in solar energy, German company IFE Solar Systems, has invested more than R500-million in the South African invention and is set to manufacture 500 000 of the panels before the end of the year at a new plant in Germany. Production will start next month and the factory will run 24 hours a day, producing more than 1 000 panels a day to meet expected demand. Another large German solar company is negotiating with the South African inventors for rights to the technology, while a South African consortium of businesses are keen to build local factories. The new, highly efficient and cheap alloy solar panel is much more efficient than the costly old silicone solar panels. International experts have admitted that nothing else comes close to the effectiveness of the South African invention. The South African solar panels consist of a thin layer of a unique metal alloy that converts light into energy. The photo-responsive alloy can operate on virtually all flexible surfaces, which means it could in future find a host of other applications. Alberts said the new panels are approximately five microns thick (a human hair is 20 microns thick) while the older silicon panels are 350 microns thick. the cost of the South African technology is a fraction of the less effective silicone solar panels. Alberts said in Switzerland it was already compulsory for all new houses to include solar technology to lessen energy demands on national grids. "And that was the older, less effective technology. With our hours of sunlight, we will on average generate twice as much energy than, for instance, European countries." While South African scientists developed and patented the new, super-effective alloy solar panels, other companies have developed new, super-efficient storage batteries and special converters to change the energy into the power source of a particular country (220 volts in South Africa). # Eskom spokesperson Carin de Villiers said any new power supply that lessened the load on Eskom was to be welcomed. She said Eskom was also doing its own research on solar energy. "In fact, we are currently investigating building what will probably be the largest solar power plant, in the Northern Cape - a 100-megawatt facility." She added that Eskom was also researching wind and fuel-cell technology as alternative energy sources."