PINEVILLE, La., - Cleco contractors are installing solar panels at Cleco's corporate headquarters as part of the company's exploration of alternative energy sources.

"Our industry and our nation are at a crossroads as we face the future of power supply. We must embrace alternative ways to produce power, and Cleco is doing that with this and other renewable projects," said Michael Madison, president and CEO of Cleco Corp. "This project will give us the information we need to make decisions going forward regarding potential sites for solar panels. We also will have the knowledge to help guide our customers as they investigate solar panels for personal use."

Cleco will install four solar panels on the roof of its corporate office. The performance of each panel will be monitored using software to determine individual panel performance and total energy produced by all of the panels in aggregate.

Three of the panels will be fixed-tilt mounted and each will use a different cell technology. The fourth panel will be mounted on a tracking system and will follow the sun as it moves.

Cleco is installing the same types of panels used in residential settings. A typical home installation is three kilowatts, which provides 25 percent of an average home's annual consumption. Cleco's project will be about 2.5 times larger.

"This is just one of several alternative energy projects we're working on right now," said Madison. "We are committed to looking at any renewable project that makes sense for our customers and our company, and we hope to announce other projects over the next year."

The solar panel systems are designed to supplement power normally supplied by the grid and cannot produce power independently.

Cleco Corp. is a regional energy company headquartered in Pineville, La. It operates a regulated electric utility company, Cleco Power LLC, which serves about 277,000 retail customers across Louisiana. Cleco also operates a wholesale energy business, Cleco Midstream Resources LLC, which includes the pending sale of Acadia Power Station Unit 2. This year marks the 75th anniversary of Cleco Power serving Louisiana customers. For more information about Cleco, visit www.cleco.com.