TRC Client Wins Prestigious Award for Wisconsin Solar Development

LOWELL, MA and MADISON, WI--(Marketwired - Feb 6, 2017) - TRC Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRR), a recognized leader in engineering, environmental consulting, and construction-management services, today announced that SoCore Energy's development of 18-megawatts of solar energy for Dairyland Power Cooperative won a prestigious award. TRC served as a key development consultant to SoCore.

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) named the Dairyland/SoCore project, which encompasses 14 sites in Wisconsin and Iowa, one of four recipients of 2016 Project of Distinction Awards. The Dairyland/SoCore project includes solar arrays ranging from 600 kilowatts to 2.75 megawatts and can produce enough electricity to power 2,500 homes. Notable details include:

• It has singlehandedly doubled the total deployment of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation in Wisconsin.
• It was the first large-scale deployment in Wisconsin of single-axis tracker arrays, with panels that turn with the sun all day long to maximize electric output.
• All 14 solar sites double as "pollinator gardens," sustaining and growing bee and butterfly populations that benefit crops, flowers and trees through planting of native seed mixes of grasses and flowering plants. The pollinator gardens also reduce storm water runoff and erosion.
• Dairyland member distribution cooperatives are offering member-consumers the opportunity to invest in or own community solar gardens adjacent to the 14 sites, maximizing the use and cost-effectiveness of new power grid interconnections.

"TRC is proud to be part of the team that assisted Dairyland and SoCore on this innovative, award-winning solar project," said Chris Vincze, TRC's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Every day, across all kinds of electric power generation and transmission and development of renewable energy sources, TRC experts are consistently delivering our clients innovative solutions."

TRC has Wisconsin offices in Brookfield and Madison and a laboratory in Madison, as well.

Dairyland's solar projects were developed under power purchase agreements with SoCore Energy, which installed, owns, operates and maintains the facilities. TRC provided SoCore professional consulting services including: geotechnical investigations, topographic and American Land Title Association surveys, wetland surveys, sensitive-species reviews, storm water permits, Phase I environmental site assessments, and Karner blue butterfly habitat surveys. (Wisconsin is home to some of the country's most abundant habitats supporting the world's largest remaining populations of the Karner blue butterfly, which has been listed federally as an endangered species since 1992.)

Key criteria for SEIA and SEPA in choosing winners were: Innovation in use of technology, design, financing, and collaboration; the benefits they provide to multiple stakeholders across their communities; and their replicability and development of best practices for the Midwest region.

"SoCore is honored to be part of such a unique project in Wisconsin," said Laura Caspari, Director of Development at SoCore Energy. "The Project of Distinction Award was a reflection of the great collaboration between SoCore, Dairyland, TRC and the communities with whom we worked. We are excited about the contribution these developments have made to increasingly clean, reliable and cost effective energy for Co-op members."

About SoCore Energy
SoCore Energy (www.SoCoreEnergy.com) offers companies, electric cooperatives and communities solar solutions that provide reliable, lower carbon and cost effective energy. SoCore is a subsidiary of Edison International. SoCore works together with the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC) to support the development of solar for rural electric cooperatives and their members.

About Dairyland Power Cooperative
With headquarters in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Dairyland (www.dairylandpower.com) provides wholesale electricity to 25 member distribution cooperatives and 17 municipal utilities. A Touchstone Energy Cooperative, Dairyland's service area encompasses 62 counties in four states (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois). Dairyland's resources include coal, natural gas, hydro, solar, wind and landfill gas.

About TRC
A pioneer in groundbreaking scientific and engineering developments since the 1960s, TRC (www.TRCsolutions.com) is a national engineering, environmental consulting and construction management firm that provides integrated services to the power, environmental, infrastructure and oil and gas markets. TRC serves a broad range of commercial, industrial and government clients, implementing complex projects from initial concept to delivery and operation. TRC delivers results that enable clients to achieve success in a complex and changing world. TRC trades on the NYSE under the symbol TRR. For more information, visit TRC's website at www.TRCsolutions.com, follow us on Twitter and StockTwits at @TRC_Companies or find us on LinkedIn.