SolarCity and Goldman Sachs Create Largest U.S. Rooftop Solar Lease Financing Platform

Collaboration Expected to Fund more than $500 Million in Solar Projects, 110 Megawatts of Solar Capacity

SolarCity (SCTY), a leading provider of clean energy, today announced a lease financing agreement with Goldman Sachs (GS) to fund more than $500 million in solar power projects; an estimated 110 megawatts in generation capacity for homeowners and businesses.

The financing makes it possible for homeowners, businesses, government and other non-profit organizations to install solar panels with no upfront cost and pay less for clean, solar electricity than they currently pay for utility bills. The agreement was initiated in 2012 and expanded per its initial terms at the end of April.

The combined lease financing is the largest of its kind announced in the U.S. for homeowners’ rooftops. The financing has already enabled approximately 26 megawatts (MW) of new solar generation to be deployed, and the remainder is reflected in the 158 MW of available financing as of May 10, 2013 reported in SolarCity’s announcement of financial results earlier this week.

“We are excited about the opportunity in distributed solar, which has the potential to both lower energy costs and create jobs,” said Stuart Bernstein, Global Head of Clean Technology and Renewables at Goldman Sachs. “Our firm has set a target of $40 billion in financings and investments in renewable energy over the next decade, and we believe SolarCity’s range of distributed solar solutions targeting a wider customer base will help us move toward a low carbon energy future.”

As more investors have become familiar with the reliability and quality of solar as a technology and an asset class, it has become possible to expand the pool of available financing and offer options to a broader range of potential customers, including those with lower credit profiles. SolarCity and Goldman Sachs have created an attractive financing structure to further lower the cost of capital of financing solar. The financing can make it easier to fund projects for schools, municipalities and other organizations that are not publicly rated.

“The Goldman lease financing will make affordable solar electricity available to more types of homeowners and organizations,” said Jimmy Chuang, SolarCity’s vice president of structured finance. “We expect to be able to expand our offering to a broader customer base by lowering the credit requirements even further in future financings.”

Businesses and homeowners interested in SolarCity’s energy services can contact the company directly at 1-888-SOL-CITY (1-888-765-2489) or visit www.solarcity.com/request.

About Goldman Sachs

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is a leading global investment banking, securities and investment management firm that provides a wide range of financial services to a substantial and diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and high-net-worth individuals. Founded in 1869, the firm is headquartered in New York and maintains offices in all major financial centers around the world.

About SolarCity

SolarCity® (SCTY) provides clean energy. The company has disrupted the century-old energy industry by providing renewable electricity directly to homeowners, businesses and government organizations for less than they spend on utility bills. SolarCity gives customers control of their energy costs to protect them from rising rates. The company offers solar power, energy efficiency and electric vehicle services, and makes clean energy easy by taking care of everything from design and permitting to monitoring and maintenance. SolarCity currently serves 14 states and signs a new customer every five minutes. Visit the company online at www.solarcity.com and follow the company on Facebook & Twitter.

This release contains forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, statements regarding expected generation capacity and available financing. Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which such performance or results will be achieved, if at all. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward looking statements. You should read the section entitled “Risk Factors” in SolarCity’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and identifies certain of these and additional risks and uncertainties. SolarCity does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

SolarCity
Jonathan Bass, 650-963-5156
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or
Goldman Sachs
Andrew Williams, 212-357-0005
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