Real Goods Solar, Inc. : Real Goods Solar Selected by CEFIA for Solarize Choice Community Solarize Program

LOUISVILLE, CO, Nov. 12, 2013 - Real Goods Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: RSOL), a nationwide leader of turnkey solar energy solutions for residential, commercial, and utility customers, has been selected as a 2013 Solarize Choice Installer by Connecticut's Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority (CEFIA).

The Solarize Choice program is designed to increase the adoption of solar energy and further reduce the overall cost of solar power. The program offers residents and businesses discounted pricing for solar by partnering installers with local communities, so greater savings can be enjoyed by all.

In partnership with CEFIA, Real Goods Solar will work with Solarize Choice in the communities of Columbia-Lebanon, Cheshire and Enfield. Home and business owners in these locales will have until March 31, 2014 to sign up and lock in their savings under the program.

"We've realized great success with previous Solarize Choice programs, and we expect this one to be very successful as well," said Justin Pentelute, Real Goods Solar's president of residential and small commercial systems. "In our last Solarize Connecticut initiative, we were able to more than double the amount of solar deployed in Portland, Connecticut. In our most recent community solarize program, which was in the state of Massachusetts and ended in September, we secured more than 1.5 megawatts of residential projects in the towns of Lee, Williamstown, and Northampton. We expect our Connecticut efforts to also yield significant deployments."

CEFIA was established by Connecticut's General Assembly in July 2011 as a part of Public Act 11-80. This new quasi-public agency supersedes the former Connecticut Clean Energy Fund. CEFIA's mission is to help ensure Connecticut's energy security and community prosperity by realizing its environmental and economic opportunities through clean energy finance and investments. As the nation's first full-scale clean energy finance authority, CEFIA leverages public and private funds to drive investment and scale-up clean energy deployment in Connecticut. For more information about CEFIA, visit www.ctcleanenergy.com.

Real Goods Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: 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 to the public in the U.S. in 1978, the company has installed more than 16,000 solar power systems representing well over 110 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 17 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, on Facebook at http://facebook.com/realgoodssolar and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/realgoodssolar.

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 failure to close the Mercury acquisition, 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.

Ron Both
Liolios Group, Inc.
Tel 1-949-574-3860
RSOL@liolios.com