by Shane Henson — October 4, 2013—Communities already working to increase energy efficiency and those whose key stakeholders have been waiting to do so now have even more of an incentive: the possibility of winning the $5 million Georgetown University Energy Prize. The U.S. Department of Energy and Georgetown University are collaborating on the competition, which was created to encourage innovative, replicable, and scalable approaches to reducing energy use in communities across the United States.
Beginning in February 2014, U.S. municipalities ranging in population from 5,000-250,000 residents—accounting for more than 65 percent of American communities and 200 million residents—will be eligible to compete for the prize by reducing their energy use. Participating communities must develop a long-term energy efficiency plan and demonstrate initial effectiveness and sustainability during a two-year period. The winning community will receive $5 million provided by private sponsors, which will help to support their continuing community-based energy efficiency efforts.
Although only one community will win the top prize, each participating community will benefit from access to financial and technical resources, the DOE stresses. Organizers have designed the competition to create pathways toward achieving greater efficiency in homes and municipal buildings across the country.
Communities are encouraged to submit a non-binding letter of intent as soon as possible; interested parties are invited to learn more about Georgetown Energy Prize, review the competition’s rules and timeline, and register their communities in advance of the formal launch in February, says the DOE.
