On September 13th, 2012, the grand ceremonial hall of city hall in Vienna, Austria was filled with dignitaries as nominees from 14 different countries teetered on the edge of their seats in anticipation of being honored with the World Energy Globe Award 2012. Award categories included Earth, Fire, Water, Air, and Youth. The City of Lancaster competed in the “Fire” category, which represents energy and calls for projects utilizing renewable fuels while expanding energy distribution, transportation, utilization and optimization. The over-arching tenet of the category is to achieve optimized efficiency and sustainability from renewable energy resources which do not harm the environment.

Three finalists were selected in each category. Competing directly with revolutionary software developed in the Netherlands, and electricity pockets engineered to transform Israel’s Palestinian communities, the City of Lancaster took first place in the “Fire” category for utilizing public-private partnerships which create and expand new energy resources throughout the Antelope Valley and beyond. The award for this accomplishment included $10,000 and a beautiful bronze trophy.

“The City of Lancaster has laid a strong foundation for self-sufficient, renewable, clean energy resources which are unique at the mid-sized community scale,” said Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris. “The many efficiencies of renewable energy as well as the monetary and environmental savings which come along with it are not only accessible to the government and larger entities; citizens in our community can now afford to take advantage of these benefits as well.”

The City of Lancaster is well-known for advocating total health and wellness, both from an energy-use/environmental standpoint as well as from a citizen/family quality-of-life standpoint. City officials have worked aggressively to elevate Lancaster’s status in a number of areas, including crime reduction, community health, and economic development. In 2010, the quest to secure Lancaster as the Alternative Energy Capital of the World was launched when an opportunity arose to work with national home-building staple KB Home and China-based technology and manufacturing giant Build Your Dream (BYD) to design a solar-powered home prototype which generates more power than it utilizes. Realizing Lancaster’s exceptional geographical advantages for such an endeavor, a fire was sparked in pursuit of maximizing the City’s full potential. Within six months, the “Home of the Future” was born. This initial project has since expanded to three new solar-powered home sites. As innovative and progressive as this effort was, the aforementioned project was only one small piece of the big picture for Lancaster.

The City’s Solar Lancaster program emerged in partnership with private solar energy firm SolarCity. This unique endeavor aimed to make solar energy accessible and affordable to all residents, as well as local businesses. Through an innovative financing program, customers were allowed to choose from a variety of financing options to find what works best for their property. The initial implementation period resulted in 115 local residents and businesses converting to solar energy, for a total of 12.5 MW of solar power-generating capacity.

The “Home of the Future” and the Solar Lancaster Program are the two significant accomplishments in Lancaster’s overall renewable energy leadership agenda which ultimately garnered the prestigious recognition of the International Energy Globe Award, sponsored by Energy Globe founder Wolfgang Neumann.

In addition to coming in first in the “Fire” category, the City of Lancaster came in third worldwide for its groundbreaking initiatives in alternative energy.

“This is quite the accomplishment, especially given the depth of purpose and commitment demonstrated by so many innovative leaders striving to make a substantial impact in their communities around the world,” said Lancaster Councilman Ken Mann, who attended as the City’s award recipient and representative. “It was truly an honor to be in the company of so many progressive minds and hearts dedicated to making a difference.”

To view a summary of Lancaster’s winning projects, visit the World Energy Globe website at http://www.energyglobe.info/awards/project/awdid/6345/#.UDTgLKD_lPk.  
To learn more regarding the City of Lancaster’s numerous accomplishments in the renewable energy sector, visit the City of Lancaster’s Alternative Energy web page at www.cityoflancasterca.org/energy.

About the Energy Globe Award:
The Energy Globe Award was founded in 1999 by the Austrian energy pioneer Wolfgang Neumann and is one of today’s most prestigious environmental awards. Through his organization and the numerous award-winning opportunities he provides via Energy Globe, Neumann aims to “safeguard the future of the planet and the right of future generations everywhere to live healthy and fulfilling lives.” Raising awareness to this end; showcasing best practices from all over the world; motivating people to get involved; and convincing governments to eliminate barriers to progress are the underlying intentions of the International Energy Globe Awards/World Award for Sustainability.

Neumann has structured the Energy Globe Awards process in a manner which presents successful sustainable projects to a broad audience, believing that many of our environmental problems already have good, feasible solutions. Projects which conserve and protect the world’s resources or that employ renewable energy can participate in the competition.

Since 1999, the festive ceremony has taken place annually in such countries as Japan, Canada, the Czech Republic, Rwanda, and –this year– Austria. More than 6,000 projects ranging from high-tech to simple but highly efficient have been submitted since Energy Globe’s beginning.