Capstone Turbine C30 CNG Microturbine Certified to CARB 2010 Requirement for On-Road Heavy Duty Diesel Engines for Urban Bus

CHATSWORTH, Calif., Dec. 27, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Capstone Turbine Corporation (www.capstoneturbine.com) (Nasdaq:CPST), the world's leading clean technology manufacturer of microturbine energy systems, today announced it released configurations of the C30 compressed natural gas (CNG) microturbine that meet or exceed emissions standards, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board (CARB) 2010 requirements for On-Road Heavy Duty Diesel Engines (HDDE) for Urban Bus.

CARB 2010 is a California automotive standard for tailpipe emissions on a vehicle under the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which is viewed internationally as the primary authority on vehicular emissions.

Test emissions from the C30 CNG microturbine measure dramatically less than the emissions levels required by CARB and the EPA for 2010 and Subsequent Model Heavy Duty Urban Bus Engines.

Emission      Capstone Results 
    (g/hp-hr)     CARB & EPA Standards 
    (g/hp-hr)
     BSCO
    BSNMHC
    BSNOx
    BSPM     0.11
    0.04
    0.05
    0.002        15.50
    0.14
    0.20
    0.01

The C30 CNG microturbine doesn't require fuel pretreatment or exhaust aftertreatment to meet these stringent standards, which avoids additional costs, decreased product efficiency and increased vehicle weight.

"Internal combustion diesel engine manufacturers have been challenged for several years to develop technology improvements that reduce emissions levels to CARB 2010 and EPA standards," said Jim Crouse, Capstone's Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "Manufacturers are using exhaust aftertreatment to meet CARB required emission levels, which increases equipment and life cycle costs, and may reduce overall engine efficiency. The C30 CNG microturbine is the only engine certified to this standard with no exhaust aftertreatment, which reinforces Capstone's leading position in ultra low combustion emissions."

The C30 CNG microturbine is used in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) as a range extender for truck and fleet applications such as urban buses, passenger vehicles, trolleys, class 8 heavy-duty tractors and heavy duty trucks. It delivers benefits unattainable with conventional engines for cleaner, more reliable and quieter mass transportation.

Capstone microturbines incorporate lean premix combustion technology, which offers clean burning exhaust emissions operating on gaseous and liquid fuels. To achieve the emissions improvements, Capstone's team of engineers developed new fuel injection and controls methods that resulted in significantly lower emissions.

"CARB 2010 is an extremely challenging standard for engine manufacturers to meet," said Mark Gilbreth, Capstone's Executive Vice President of Operations and Chief Technology Officer. "Achieving this certification without exhaust aftertreatment allows our products to maintain operating efficiencies and low maintenance costs. We believe this product is well positioned to meet the growing demand of the expanding electric vehicle market looking for range extending solutions."

The C30 CNG microturbine is Capstone's second engine CARB certified for automotive applications; the C30 liquid fuel microturbine was certified in June 2010. Capstone also has versions of its C30, C65 and C200 products certified to CARB stationary emission standards.

About Capstone Turbine Corporation

Capstone Turbine Corporation (www.capstoneturbine.com) (Nasdaq:CPST) is the world's leading producer of low-emission microturbine systems, and was the first to market commercially viable microturbine energy products. Capstone Turbine has shipped over 5,000 Capstone MicroTurbine(R) systems to customers worldwide. These award-winning systems have logged millions of documented runtime operating hours. Capstone Turbine is a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Combined Heat and Power Partnership, which is committed to improving the efficiency of the nation's energy infrastructure and reducing emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases. A UL-Certified ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001:2004 certified company, Capstone is headquartered in the Los Angeles area with sales and/or service centers in the New York Metro Area, Mexico City, Nottingham, Shanghai and Singapore.

The Capstone Turbine Corporation logo is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=6212

This press release contains "forward-looking statements," as that term is used in the federal securities laws, about compliance with certain governmental regulations, low maintenance costs, the environmental advantages of our products and use of our products in the electric vehicle market. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "expects," "objective," "intend," "targeted," "plan" and similar phrases. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties described in Capstone's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission that may cause Capstone's actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied in such statements. Capstone cautions readers not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. Capstone undertakes no obligation, and specifically disclaims any obligation, to release any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

"Capstone Turbine Corporation" and "Capstone MicroTurbine" are registered trademarks of Capstone Turbine Corporation. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

CONTACT:  Capstone Turbine Corporation
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          818-407-3628
          ir@capstoneturbine.com

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Released December 27, 2010