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A UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP: BJ’s WHOLESALE CLUB AND SUN POWER ELECTRIC

Two Metro West companies have forged a partnership to generate and promote a cleaner, greener source of energy available to the public. Natick, Massachusetts-based BJ’s Wholesale Club, Inc. and Sun Power Electric of Westboro have teamed up to create solar panel installations on the roofs of BJ’s clubs in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts (December 1998); Conshohocken, Pennsylvania (May 1999); and currently, BJ’s in Middletown, Rhode Island.

How did this unusual collaboration between a membership warehouse club and a non-profit solar utility evolve? Stephen Cowell, president of Sun Power Electric and Richard Andelman, manager of energy resources for BJ’s Wholesale Club met at a conference on renewable energy in 1997. After some discussion, the two realized they could generate clean energy for the consumer marketplace by installing large arrays of photovoltaic panels on BJ’s 2-acre roofs. Deregulation in the electric industry provided an opportune climate to turn visionary ideas into practical solutions. On December 10^th, 1998 at BJ’s in North Dartmouth, Mass., power began flowing from the first solar-electricity system built specifically to serve the "green power" market created by deregulation.

"This partnership is a unique opportunity for BJ’s Wholesale Club to provide resources that help make renewable energy available to the public," explained Richard Andelman of BJ’s Wholesale Club. "Our hope is that our involvement in this project will increase the availability of green power in the marketplace, contribute to the affordability of choosing this alternative form of energy, and encourage other utilities to develop cleaner, more environmentally-friendly ways to produce power."

"This collaboration between Sun Power Electric an BJ’s Wholesale Club is a groundbreaking initiative to bring environmentally sensitive energy sources into the emerging competitive electricity markets," said Stephen Cowell, president of Sun Power Electric. "It will convert BJ’s flat metal roofs into green carpets of clean energy production. It will also allow energy production to be located closer to where power is needed by consumers, without the need for unsightly power lines or harmful power plants."

BJ’s and Sun Power will flip the switch on their third photovoltaic collaboration on September 2, 1999 at 10:30 a.m. at BJ’s in Middletown, Rhode Island. The project is the first installation to use funds from the Rhode Island Renewable Energy Collaborative and the first implementation of solar-powered energy for the marketplace since the deregulation of the electric industry. It is a collaboration among businesses, non-profits, utilities and government, and partially funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Utility Photovoltaic Group and the Rhode Island Renewable Energy Collaborative. In addition to BJ’s and Sun Power, partners include ALLEnergy, the power-marketing subsidiary of New England Electric, and ASE Americas in Billerica, manufacturer of solar panels.

Sun Power Electric is a new division of Conservation Services Group (CSG), a non-profit that has delivered energy conservation services to more than 600,000 households during the past 14 years.

BJ’s Wholesale Club, Inc. is a leading operator of warehouse clubs in the eastern United States, with 100 clubs in the chain. In 1998, sales totaled $3.5 billion. BJ’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "BJ".