Real Goods Solar (RSOL) Launches Shop.RealGoods.com, Offering Cost-Savings Solutions

LOUISVILLE, Colo., Feb. 19, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Real Goods Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq:RSOL), a nationwide leader of turnkey solar energy solutions for residential, commercial, and utility customers, has launched Shop.RealGoods.com, a new online store offering the latest in solar power and environmentally-friendly solutions for both home and business.

The site can be accessed via the company’s main website at www.realgoods.com or directly at Shop.RealGoods.com. Shop.RealGoods.com features a wide range of solar kits and components, from personal solar power and off-grid solar kits, to full-scale turnkey solutions for large homes and small-to-medium sized commercial operations. Online shoppers can also access a range of sustainable living products, including solar-powered water systems for garden and agricultural use, energy-efficient and off-grid lighting, tools and appliances, as well as a unique selection of eco-friendly home maintenance products and supplies.

The site is also an essential resource for consumers seeking helpful information and education regarding the use of solar power and ‘going green,’ with a collection of reference books across a range of categories, from green and healthy lifestyles to renewable energy and how-to solar construction guides.

“Our new website builds upon our 35-year legacy of empowering consumers and business owners to reduce their energy costs and shrink their carbon footprint,” said John Schaeffer, who founded Real Goods in 1978 and is now leading the company’s growth initiatives in e-commerce sales, retail and distribution. “The site returns us to our roots of connecting consumers directly with a range of environmental products we’ve evaluated, and therefore can support and endorse. It expands upon our motto that ‘Education and Knowledge are our Most Important Products.'”

Real Goods Solar sold the very first solar modules in the U.S. in 1978. In the early years, prior to the company becoming a leading national solar player, Real Goods was engaged in grassroots efforts to bring solar and other environmental products directly to consumers via its brick-and-mortar stores and its popular Real Goods Catalog, with more than 30 million catalogs distributed in the Western Hemisphere. The catalog, a successor to the Whole Earth Catalog, quickly became the ‘bible’ for a new generation of consumers looking for self-sustaining and renewable energy solutions in the face of the emerging global energy crisis. Shop.RealGoods.com builds on this rich history and tradition.

Over the course of the year, the company plans to further build out Shop.RealGoods.com with a greater selection of solar lifestyle products and helpful information. This includes adding informative videos produced at the company’s world-renowned Solar Living Center, a 12-acre solar and ecological demonstration site and educational facility. The center was named as one of Northern California’s premier tourist sites by the American Automobile Association and other regional tour guides.

Shop.RealGoods.com will also serve as referral source to the company’s solar residential and commercial business units, which have installed more than 100 megawatts of solar power since their inception.

“We believe we are the only solar company in the country with more than three decades of continued commitment to solar living and delivering the grass roots environmental education that supports it,” noted Real Goods Solar CEO Kam Mofid. “The formation of our new e-commerce business unit and introduction of this new website complement our existing growth strategies by tapping the power and reach of the Internet, and the soaring growth of e-commerce.”

About Real Goods Solar and RGS Energy

Real Goods Solar, Inc. (RSOL) is one of the nation’s pioneering solar energy companies serving commercial, residential, and utility customers. Beginning with one of the very first photovoltaic panels sold in the U.S. in 1978, the company has installed more than 14,500 solar power systems representing over 100 megawatts of 100% clean renewable energy. Real Goods Solar makes it very convenient for customers to save on their energy bill by providing a comprehensive solar solution, from design, financing, permitting and installation to ongoing monitoring, maintenance and support. As one of the nation’s largest and most experienced solar power players, the company has 15 offices across the West and the Northeast. It services the commercial and utility markets through its RGS Energy division. For more information, visit RealGoodsSolar.com or RGSEnergy.com, or call (888)507-2561.

The Real Goods Solar, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=6455

This press release includes forward-looking statements relating to matters that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as “expect,” “intend,” “believe,” “will,” “should” or comparable terminology or by discussions of strategy. While Real Goods Solar believes its assumptions and expectations underlying forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that actual results will not be materially different. Risks and uncertainties that could cause materially different results include, among others, introduction of new products and services, completion and integration of acquisitions, the possibility of negative economic conditions, and other risks and uncertainties included in Real Goods Solar’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Real Goods Solar assumes no duty to update any forward-looking statements.

CONTACT: Media and Investor Relations Contact:
         Ron Both
         Liolios Group, Inc.
         Tel (949) 574-3860
         RSOL@liolios.com