| Vancouver, BC - January 20, 2010 - Tantalus Systems Corp., a market
leader in two-way, real-time Smart Grid data communications, today
announced that is has raised $14 million in equity to fund its ongoing
penetration of energy efficiency solutions into co-op and municipal
utilities. The financing was led by Redpoint Ventures and included
several current investors in the company.
\\\"In 2009, the adoption
and deployment of Smart Grid technologies accelerated as the economic
and environmental benefits became clear,\\\" said Jeff Brody, founding
partner of Redpoint Ventures. \\\"We looked closely at numerous vendors in
the space and Tantalus stood out due to its unique market position,
technology differentiation, and scalability. With more than one million
meters under contract, it is the leader in co-op and municipal
utilities. Recent wins at large municipalities have positioned the
company for continued rapid growth.\\\"
Tantalus\\\' wireless
communications technology (TUNet® the Tantalus Utility Network)
provides utilities with greater control over their power grid by
automating processes like outage detection, load forecasting, billing
and reporting, demand response, and maintenance. The net result is
operational efficiency for the utility and greater service reliability
for the consumer. In addition, TUNet can effectively service a wide
range of topographies throughout both urban and rural service areas in
a scalable and cost-effective way.
\\\"Tantalus has given us
confidence that however our Smart Grid evolves, we will be ready to
meet the challenges,\\\" said Clint Wilson of EPB Chattanooga, the
Tennessee city\\\'s electric power provider. \\\"We are currently building
the largest city-owned fiber-optic network in the country that will
help our more than 163,000 customers better manage power. Tantalus
enables us to implement the advanced energy management applications,
plus we get additional value from our investment by providing an
expanded set of communications services.\\\"
Chatham-Kent Hydro was
one of the first utilities in Ontario to fully deploy an advanced
metering system, and has gone on to win several awards for the business
and technology excellence of its metering initiative. Dave Kenney, the
utility\\\'s president, said that being an early adopter put it ahead of
the curve in validating Smart Grid benefits.
\\\"Our experience with
Tantalus proves that smart metering done correctly yields cost savings
and brings operational benefits as promised,\\\" he said. \\\"The Tantalus
system was delivered on time and on budget, and serves as the backbone
for our interactive Customer Awareness and Demand Response programs.
This is helping to optimize conservation by giving people the tools to
better manage energy consumption and their electric bills.\\\"
Currently,
Tantalus counts more than 30 utilities among its customer base, several
of which were recently awarded stimulus grants from the U.S. Department
of Energy. With this funding, Tantalus will be able to capitalize on
its current market traction and expand its customer base with larger,
faster deployments.
\\\"With revenue growth of more than 150% in
FY2009 and comparable results forecast for FY2010, Tantalus is on
course to be a powerful force in the Smart Grid market,\\\" said Eric
Murray, President and CEO of Tantalus. \\\"This funding provides us with
additional resources to meet ever-increasing market demand for Tantalus
solutions, continue to expand our product portfolio, and reach
profitability this year.\\\" |