Pepco is joining the Department of Energy as a Sustaining Partner for the 2009 Solar Decathlon, an international collegiate competition in which 20 teams of students compete to design, build, and operate energy-efficient solar-powered houses on the national Mall.

Pepco will install “smart meters” capable of providing net metering for each of the 20 homes in the solar village. This will be the first time in the fourth biennial Solar Decathlon that net metering will be the highest potential scoring category in the competition. Net metering enables a two-way power flow so that when the solar generation of electricity by the homes exceeds the energy needs of the village, the village will provide Pepco with the excess electricity. On days when solar power is insufficient to power the village, Pepco will provide electricity to supplement the village’s power needs. This demonstrates, in a micro-village setting, how net metering can integrate renewable energy into a portfolio of energy resources.

“Renewable power and smart grid technology will provide the tools to empower our customers and lead us into a better tomorrow as we work to secure America’s energy independence,” said Joseph M. Rigby, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pepco Holdings, Inc., the parent company of Pepco.

During the event, Pepco employees will conduct workshops and demonstrations emphasizing the latest innovations in Smart Grid technology. For more information regarding Solar Decathlon events, visit www.SolarDecathlon.gov.

Pepco, a subsidiary of Pepco Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: POM), delivers safe, reliable and affordable electric service to more than 750,000 customers in Maryland and the District of Columbia.