Presentation to:

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Presentation to Ohio EPA (Wastewater) Columbus,
Oho February 7, 2007 by Joel Bleth, President,
and Mike Christensen, Northern Midwest Regional
Manager SolarBee, Inc. Dickinson, ND
58601 866-437-8076, www.solarbee.com
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GOALS

• EXPOSE OHIO EPA WW DEPT TO SOLAR POWERED
  CIRCULATOR TECHNOLOGY
• REVIEW BENEFITS FOR WW LAGOONS
• BETTER BOD AND TSS REDUCTION
• BETTER NUTRIENT REDUCTION (N AND P)
• ENERGY SAVINGS

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Company Background Commitment to Value and
Service
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Background

• SolarBee, Inc. founders have 28 years of
  experience in the pump and fluid handling
  business.
• Over 100Million in goods and services in the
  field, perhaps 20,000 accounts. Virtually all
  well satisfied.
• 60 employees, 6 with degrees in biological
  science (2 PhD's/CLM's), 9 with engineering and
  technology degrees.

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Background (continued)

• Received the NDCC Statewide Business and Industry
  Award for 2004.
• Also recently received a 91 score in the US GSA
  background check, very high.
• Place high emphasis on using technology to
  advance applied science.
• Very low employee turnover.
• Good public citizen contributions, safety.

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Our Governing Philosophies for 28 Years

• Treat customers as we would want to be treated.
• Unparalleled service, we receive many kudos in
  letters and emails.
• Offer quality and reliability
• Emphasize best technology, reliability, and
  constant learning.

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SolarBee Project
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The SolarBee creates long-distance, radial flow
circulation
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• SolarBees near-laminar flow with solar power
• Dish promotes near-laminar flow enabling water
  to travel long distances
• different from wind mixing
• Moves 10,000 gpm
• near zero lift near zero HP, which allows
  solar energy to be sufficient

Near laminar flow
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SolarBee-related Independent Studies

• US BUREAU OF RECLAMATION Evaporation Study at
  Salton Sea
• SAN FRANCISCO P.U.C. Potable Water Mixer Study
• CPUC Wastewater Optimization Program
• SMUD Customer Advanced Technology Program for
  homeowners lake in Elk Grove
• California Energy Commissions Peak Load Reduction
  Program
• Minnesota Alum Application Test for P Removal in
  wastewater.
• U. of Delaware (on-going mosquito test)
• Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago (due diligence),
  released report in Sept 2006 designating SolarBee
  as preferred technology for Chicago's large storm
  water ponds being consructed. (160 acres, 400 ft
  deep)
• OHIO EPA 104G WASTEWATER PERSONNEL Dye Test
• Bennett, CO, 2006 dye testing study showed
  superior long distance mixing in wastewater
  lagoon compared to grid powered aerators.

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SolarBee - Past Present

• Technology 1998 "SolarBee" Sep 2001.
• Market development in order of time wastewater,
  fresh water, potable water. Others storm
  water, salt water, estuaries.
• Huge leaps in performance and value since 2002,
  over 20 times the mixing per of cost, and over
  30 times the mixing per watt. The flow leaving
  each machine is enough to supply a town of
  100,000 people.

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SolarBee - Past Present

• Four sizes, from 15k to 40k, plus options, plus
  installation (3k to 5k)
• Most SB lake projects
• Algae and slow weed control Usually 35 acre
  spacing/unit, 45/ac/yr.
• Fast weed control Usually 5-10 acre spacing,
  120/ac/yr.

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SolarBee - Past Present

• Over 1000 machines installed by 2006.
• Solving problems of BOD, TSS, high energy cost,
  sludge reduction in 150 wastewater ponds,
• Solving problems of blue-green algae blooms in
  160 lakes, including 58 drinking water
  reservoirs, and invasive weeds in 25 lakes.
• Mixing in 125 potable tanks.

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SolarBee - Past Present

• Customer's include many Cities, HOA's, 12 US
  federal project, 11 Native American tribal
  projects.
• SolarBee is probably collecting more wastewater
  pond and lake data than has ever been collected
  before by a private company.
• Crews use GPS, YSI's w/ 100 ft long probes,
  laptops. All data is analyzed by SolarBee and
  reported at no charge.

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SolarBee Factory plus 7 US regional offices and 1
export office. There are SolarBees in most
states, and exports have been made to 7
countries. In 2006, won environmental awards in
New Mexico, and in Australia.
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UNDERSTANDING AND IMPROVING NUTRIENT
REDUCTION IN WASTEWATER LAGOONS
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LEVELS OF TREATMENT,SUMMARIZED

• PRIMARY TREATMENT
• REMOVE SETTLABLES AND SOLIDS
• SECONDARY TREATMENT
• REMOVE THE BOD AND TSS
• TERTIARY TREATMENT
• NUTRIENT REDUCTION (N AND P)

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FOR N REDUCTION THERE ARE ONLY 2 MAIN MECHANISMS
(1 is most common in facultative lagoons, 2 in
aerated lagoons.)
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FOR P REDUCTION THERE ARE ALSO 2 MAIN MECHANISMS
(MOST LAGOONS ACHIEVE 4-8 MG/L EFFLUENT, NEED 1
MG/L OR LESS IN FUTURE?)
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PART1.N P REMOVAL THROUGHCONTROLLED
ALGAEGROWTH IN THE FIRST CELLS
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The Pond Operators Love-Hate Relationship with
Algae
A GOOD STRONG ALGAE CROP IN THE FRONT END PONDS
,TO RAISE THE pH THERE,IS THE KEY TO ACHIEVING
BETTER N AND P REDUCTION IN WASTEWATER
LAGOONS. BUT ALGAE IN THE FINAL POND CAN CAUSE
BOD, TSS, AND pH VIOLATIONS. IF (TSS X 0.5)7
BOD, ALL TSS IS ALGAE
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Algae is perhaps the most important organism in
the world.

• Algae is found in almost all types of water.
• Algae is at the bottom of many food chains, a
  primary producer that can transform suns energy
  to usable forms.
• Algae in the ocean is responsible for producing
  most of the oxygen in our atmosphere (21).
• There are over 25,000 species of algae.

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Algae growth is governed by the Limiting
Nutrient, either C, N, or P. (Light can also be
limiting).

• To control algae, identify the limiting nutrient
  and reduce the amount available.
• In most wastewater ponds, Carbon is the limiting
  nutrient.
• In most receiving streams, Phosphorus or Nitrogen
  are the limiting nutrient.

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Without algae, BOD reduction produces carbon
dioxide that drives the PH down.
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Summary Effects of BOD reduction without algae.

• The Carbon nutrients in the water remain high,
  the water has a high alkalinity pool.
• The pH remains the same or is lower than when the
  water came in. Consequently
• Less Nitrogen (Ammonia) is gassed off.
• Less Phosphorus is precipitated
• The anaerobic zone can develop the stuck
  digester syndrome by having too low of PH.

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So if there is limited or no algae growth in the
first cells, algae growth can really take off
in the last cell and cause the effluent to exceed
the limit on BOD, TSS, N and P.
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Algae in the front-end ponds or cells can change
this outcome. To see how, we have to
understand

• (1) algaes two body nature,
• (2) how algae raises the PH, and
• (3) the effect of higher PH on pond nutrients
  (carbon, N and P) and on anaerobic digestion.

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Algae has 2 parts, during the day algae is a net
DO producer
One part of the algae cell acts like human
respiration, taking in DO and emitting CO2. But
in sunlight, the photosynthetic part of algae is
also activated, and algae becomes a net oxygen
producer. The algae tries to move to the top of
the pond to get sunlight.
Algae can raise the DO to 300 of saturation in
the top 10 of the pond.
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At night, algae becomes a net DO consumer
At night, algae respiration causes the algae to
becomes a net oxygen consumer. CO2 is respired
and some is gassed off the pond. With mini
turnovers, algae can spread out to the
thermocline, and the pond DO can drop
dramatically due to algae respiration.
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Algaes Role in Aerobic Digestion
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Benefits of Algae in Primary Pond

• Algae can provide free DO, up to 300 lbs per acre
  in satisfactory conditions in facultative ponds.
  (Wm.Oswalt, 1960, Research and Experience in
  California)
• Algae, in front-end ponds, ties up carbon so it
  doesnt get to the final pond.
• Algae raises the PH of the water.
• for increased N(ammonia) gas off
• for increased P precipitation
• for increased anaerobic sludge digestion

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How does algae tie up carbon and raise the PH?
During photosynthetic activity, algae can
pull CO2 from carbonic acid, and drain down the
entire carbonate alkalinity pool. Further CO2
reduction raises the PH.
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What does algae do with the carbon?

• The carbon is assimilated into new algae cells.
• When the carbon alkalinity pool is empty, the
  algae bloom crashes and the algae dies because no
  more CO2 is available.
• The algae falls to the bottom of the pond.
• The dead algae is digested anaerobically and
  about 2/3 of the carbon is gassed off as CH4
  (methane), a non-nutrient.

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How does the higher pH caused by algae affect N
(ammonia)?

• At pH over 9.3, almost all ammonia is in the
  form of NH3(-) ammonia gas, easily stripped by
  mixing.
• At pH under 9.3, most ammonia is in the form of
  NH4(--) liquid ammonium ion, which cant be
  stripped.
• Every push upward in the pH results in more
  ammonia gas being present and stripped out of the
  water.

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How does the higher pH caused by algae affect
Phosphorus (P)

• At pH over 8.5, most phosphates can be
  precipitated out as crystalline solid compounds
  that fall to the bottom of the pond and do not
  very easily go back into solution.
• Every push upward in the pH results in more
  phosphorus being removed by precipitation.

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How does the higher PH caused by algae affect
anaerobic digestion?

• If the higher PH water is mixed (by wind or
  otherwise) to lower depths, it can prevent the
  stuck digester syndrome where the acid formers
  get ahead of the methane producers and make the
  pH too low for methane production.
• A healthy anaerobic layer can process up to 2000
  lbs of BOD per acre, with no cost for adding DO.
• Anaerobic digestion reduces carbon nutrients in
  the pond by using carbon to produce CH4
  (methane), a non-nutrient.

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Algae Levels Depend on Pond Type.

• Facultative ponds have high algae in the upper
  16, with the highest concentration usually at
  6-10. Without any mixing, the effects of algae
  are only at the top of the pond.
• Partial-Mix ponds have some algae, but only
  enough for slight diurnal (daily) pH cycles.
• Total-Mix ponds have virtually no algae due to
  turbulence and turbidity of the mixing.

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Algae ConsiderationsFacultative Systems

• They were designed for your climate.
• Hopefully the wind blows just right to
• Mix the top zone (with its high algae, high PH,
  high DO) throughout the depths of the pond, but
  not so far down that the DO stops the anaerobic
  digestion or that odors are released.
• Consider a mixing system to remove the
  uncertainty of relying on the wind, with a good
  mixer you get consistently good results.

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Algae Considerations Partial-Mix Systems

• Grow all the algae you can in the front-end ponds
  by turning off the aeration system during part of
  the day
• Save some energy, get valuable DO for free.
• Reduce the Carbon, N, and P in the top 16.
• Dont let the pond go anaerobic! It will kill
  algae and cause odor problems.
• The result will be better water quality in the
  final pond.
• Less nutrient Carbon, N, and P, and therefore
  less algae,less BOD, and TSS.

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Algae Considerations Total-Mix Systems

• The pH will be low, so Carbon, N and P will be
  available in high quantities in the settling
  pond.
• So have a short retention time (5-10 days?) in
  the settling pond and release the water with high
  carbon nutrients into the receiving stream.
• Otherwise the algae will proliferate and cause
  the BOD and TSS to increase in the settling pond
  to high levels. Carbon is already in abundance in
  the receiving stream.
• Rely on various means other than a high pH for
  getting needed reductions for N and P.
• Reference Oswalds AIPS system, or Richards
  variations in Colorado, or Richs high
  performance aerated systems.)

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California Wastewater Treatment Facility
SolarBee
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The SolarBee Circulation
10,000gpm of near-laminar flow
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The SolarBee SB10000-DM Dual Mix for MAXIMUM
NUTRIENT REDUCTION in Partial Mix and Facultative
Ponds. (Patent Pending)
Higher Ammonia Reduction

• Higher Phosphorus Reduction

The long flexible down hose, with a weight and
float in the J bend, keeps the intake above the
sludge at all operating depths.
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The DM eliminates the intake hose being set too
deep
With the intake hose too deep, short circuiting
is eliminated, but there is a risk of odor events
due to pulling up sludge. If the pond is
drained, the hose needs to be raised. Also,
there is no zone highly conducive to ammonia
reduction and phosphorus precipitation.
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The DM eliminates the intake hose being set too
shallow
Good odor control is achieved with the intake at
a shallow depth however, due to
short-circuiting, some water is untreated for
ammonia and phosphorous reduction, and sludge
reduction is slowed.
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The SolarBee SB10000-DM Dual Mix for MAXIMUM
NUTRIENT REDUCTION in Partial Mix and Facultative
Ponds. (Patent Pending)
Higher Ammonia Reduction

• Higher Phosphorus Reduction

The long flexible down hose, with a weight and
float in the J bend, keeps the intake above the
sludge at all operating depths.
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O2 TRANSFER RATE (OTR)

• NOT POSSIBLE TO GET AN OTR
• CONSIDERING CLIMATE, UP TO 300 LB/AC/DAY WITH
  ALGAE, 200 LB/AC/DAY WITH SURFACE RENEWAL.
• SOLARBEE IS USED TO ENHANCE AND IMPROVE EXISTING
  SYSTEM
• PURCHASERS MUST WORK WITH AN ENGINEER AND STAY
  WITHIN STATE REGULATIONS .

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D.O. supplied by the SolarBee depends on many
factors such as climate, surface area, and BOD
loading.
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FACULTATIVE PONDS

• GROW ALGAE IN FRONT END PONDS
• CAPTURE D.O., USE UP CARBON NUTRIENT, RAISE pH
  FOR BETTER N AND P REDUCTION.
• HEAVIER BOD, LOADING (USUALLY 5 TIMES)
• BETTER EFLUENT BOD,TSS, N AND P
• ODOR CONTROL,
• SLUDGE DIGESTION, AVOID DREDGING

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PARTIAL MIX AERATED PONDS

• ENERGY SAVINGS (OPERATE SOME AERATORS AT NIGHT
  ONLY)
• DISPLACE 50-75 HP FROM PEAK LOAD
• DISPLACE 1000 HP-HRS/DAY
• EQUIVALENT kWh OF 40 HP X 24 HOURS
• USUALLY 0.5 TO 5 YEAR PAYBACK
• BETTER AMMONIA, BOD, TSS RESULTS
• SLUDGE DIGESTION, AVOID DREDGING

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TOTAL MIX AERATED PONDS

• ENERGY SAVINGS
• DISPLACE MIXING HORSEPOWER, NOT D.O. HORSEPOWER
• CALIFORNIA WINERY
• CALIFORNIA CANNING OPERATION
• MOUNTAIN VIEW, WY

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California Winery - WWTF
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SolarBee Crew Installing in a Wastewater
Treatment Facility
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PART 2.N REMOVAL THROUGHNITRIFICATION
ANDDE-NITRIFICATION
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• NITRIFICATION IS THE MAIN PROBLEM
• FROM AMMONIA TO NITRITE TO NITRATE
• USUALLY NEED TO ADD CARBON ALKALINITY
• 7 X MG/L OF AMMONIA, PLUS 100 MG/L
• LIME IS BEST SOURCE OF ALKALINITY
• ALSO NEED TO INCREASE NITRIFIER BACTERIA COUNT
• ADD ATTACHED SURFACE AREA
• DE-NITRIFICATION OCCURS AUTOMATICALLY
• FROM NITRATE TO NITRITE TO N2 GAS
• ALMOST NEVER CAN FIND NITRATE/NITRITE IN LAGOONS

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Biogrid Curtain, 1st Prototype
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Biogrid Curtain, Inspection
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Biogrid Curtain as Deployed
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Algae and Nitrifier Biofilm
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PART 3.Other Wastewater Applications
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OTHER WASTEWATER PONDS

• ANAEROBIC PONDS
• ODOR CAPPING WITH NO ENERGY
• ELIMINATE AERATION FOR ODOR CONTROL
• MILK PLANT - 225 HP X 8 HOURS PER DAY
• SLUDGE STORAGE PONDS
• REDUCED SLUDGE VOLUME
• MORE DENSE SLUDGE, LESS DREDGING
• TOTAL EVAPORATION PONDS
• IN SHALLOW PONDS, CAN INCREASE EVAPORATION BY 2
  TO 3 TIMES DUE TO SURFACE RENEWAL

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STORM WATER RESERVOIRS

• WE ARE JUST STARTING A TEST SITE FOR KILLING
  MOSQUITOS
• SB HAS WEST NILE MITIGATION POTENTIAL
• GREAT APPLICATION FOR COMBINED ODOR CONTROL AND
  BOD REDUCTION
• WE ARE WORKING WITH CORP OF ENGINEERS TO BECOME
  PREFERRED TECHNOLOGY FOR CHICAGO'S LARGE CSO
  SYSTEM.

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INDIANAStormwater Lake
SolarBee
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TEXASStorm-water Pond
SolarBee
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MICHIGANIndustrial W W Lake
SolarBee
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PART 4.SolarBee Current Direction
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Ammonia Reduction

• Small total mix cell up front
• Alternate the aerator to keep TSS up (prefer over
  500 mg/l, but even 200 mg/l is better than
  typical 50 mg/l)
• Supplement with SolarBee mixing to keep DO even
  throughout pond
• Goal 80 to 90 BOD reduction, 90 ammonia
  reduction
• Success at Spindale NC and Planada CA, still
  working on Dickinson
• Followed by facultative ponds
• Few SolarBees here to prevent re-growth of algae
  BOD

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Phosphorus Reduction

• With mixing, can usually reduce effluent P by 1-2
  mg/l (down to 1-3 total).
• If alum is applied to last cell to hit low permit
  limit, can reduce alum by 50 by injecting at
  solar powered circulator instead of applying with
  boat and boom.
• Not seeing much tighter standards yet in the US.

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False BOD Tests

• We see 2-5 systems per year with false-high BOD
  reports.
• The problem is not well understood by engineers
  yet.
• Best outcome would be for all states to require
  CBOD testing.

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Energy, Grants, Inv. Tax Credit

• PGE of CA just agreed to fund 30 of solar
  powered circulator cost
• All states are different, in some you need to be
  tied to the grid.
• Private firms quality for 30 investment tax
  credit and accelerated depreciation.
• In CA, and now New England, machines have a
  typical payback of 2-3 years.

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Summary

• Overall the wastewater market has been very
  successful, SolarBee's "mainstay" market.
• Engineering firms now relying on us for advice in
  many cases.
• We envision continued progress on keeping lagoon
  systems viable.
• Thank You!