Victoria, British Columbia, Canada – Thursday, November 15, 2007 – Carmanah Technologies Corporation (TSX: CMH) is pleased to announce a renewal of the company’s standing offer with the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), effectively extending its contract to supply the CCG with solar-powered LED marine lanterns for Canadian aids to navigation by an additional year. This extended standing offer, valued at up to $1.3 million, provides CCG representatives with the tools to upgrade and enhance marine navigational aids with a range of versatile, self-contained solar-powered LED lanterns – from Carmanah’s multipurpose M601 light, to its top-of-the-line M704-5 marine lantern.
Carmanah’s solar LED marine lanterns use industry-proven technology to offer a compact, durable and long-lasting alternative to traditional incandescent-based lanterns. An industry leader in self-contained solar LED lantern technology, Carmanah has supplied solar marine lanterns for coast guard aids to navigation since the late 1990s. Just this year, the company’s newest addition, the high-intensity M704-5 marine lantern received official US Coast Guard (USCG) approval for federal aids-to-navigation.
Throughout the duration of the standing offer contract, authorized representatives of the CCG can place call-up orders to purchase Carmanah solar-powered LED marine lanterns for use on fixed and floating aids-to-navigation.
About the CCG Marine Aids Modernization (MAM) Project
The standing offer contract is a Canadian Coast Guard initiative under its Marine Aids Modernization (“MAM”) project which began in 1996/97. The MAM project’s purpose was to reduce maintenance expenditures on Canada’s aids-to-navigation system through the use of high-quality equipment and modern technologies. Specific objectives include:
- Converting large solar-powered buoys to smaller buoys that could be regionally maintained by private contractors at a lower cost.
- Reducing the need for scheduled maintenance on larger buoys by replacing traditional solar-powered incandescent lighting with self-contained, solar LED lighting.
- Ensuring that the Canadian Coast Guard maintains its international commitment to keeping its marine lights functioning 99% of the time.
While ensuring the continued safety of marine traffic, the MAM Project has resulted in considerable savings and efficiencies, in part through the implementation of modern LED lighting technologies – including thousands of Carmanah’s self-contained, solar LED lanterns.
According to Mimi Drabit, Carmanah’s Coast Guard Liaison for North America, the extension of contract reflects the Canadian Coast Guard’s continued satisfaction with the quality, performance and value of Carmanah’s marine lanterns. “We’re very pleased to continue working with the CCG to upgrade Canada’s aids to navigation using industry-proven solar LED technology,” said Drabit. “Although Carmanah products are widely used all over the world, it’s great to see this Canadian technology used so effectively within our own national waterways.”
Carmanah’s solar LED marine lights are installed in more than 110 countries around the world, including New York Harbour (USA), Victoria Harbour (Hong Kong), the Port of London (England), the Port of Rotterdam (Holland), the Port of St. John’s (Canada), the Suez Canal (Egypt) and Sydney Harbour (Australia).
For more information on Carmanah’s solar LED marine lighting products, visit www.solarmarinelights.com.
About Carmanah Technologies Corporation
With more than 250,000 installations worldwide, Carmanah is one of the world’s premier suppliers of renewable and energy-efficient technologies, including solar-powered LED lighting, solar power systems & equipment and LED illuminated signage.
Carmanah is a technology leader in solar-LED lighting, solar power systems and LED-illuminated signage. From its headquarters in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, Carmanah oversees a network of branch offices and sales representatives across Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. Carmanah is a publicly traded company, with common shares listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol TSX:CMH. For more information, visit www.carmanah.com.
Carmanah Technologies Corporation
“Roland Sartorius”
Roland Sartorius
Chief Financial Officer
For further information, please contact:
Investors:
Investor Relations
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Media:
Mr. David Davies
Public Relations
Tel: (250) 382-4332
Cautionary Note on Forward-looking Information: This release may contain forward-looking statements. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “expects,” “plans,” “estimates,” “intends,” “believes,” “could,” “might,” “will” or variations of such words and phrases. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of Carmanah to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management’s current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties which are described under the caption “Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements” and “Key Information – Risk Factors” and elsewhere in Carmanah’s Annual Report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, as filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The risk factors identified in Carmanah’s Annual Report are not intended to represent a complete list of factors that could affect Carmanah. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Carmanah does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this press release.