by Brianna Crandall — May 2, 2014—The Georgetown University Energy Prize, a $5 million incentive competition to reduce America’s energy consumption, announced a list on April 23 of 51 communities who have signed letters of intent to compete. This announcement signals the opening of the Prize’s Application Phase for the nearly 9,000 eligible U.S. communities with a population between 5,000 and 250,000.
All eligible communities are encouraged to submit applications to compete for the Prize during the Application Phase, which concludes on June 30, 2014. The Application Phase will be followed by Quarterfinals and Semifinals, and the two-year competition will conclude in 2017 when one winning community is awarded a $5 million prize purse for use on energy efficiency programs.
The interdisciplinary nationwide competition aims to dramatically improve America’s energy standing by challenging communities across the United States to harness their ingenuity and community spirit and rethink their energy use—specifically household and municipal consumption of electricity and natural gas. The Georgetown University Energy Prize is intended to serve as a catalyst to set America on the path toward long-term, positive change by leveraging community creativity and the nation’s most critical zero-emissions “fuel” source: energy efficiency.
As noted on the Prize’s Resources for Competitors page, all GUEP competitors will receive access to concrete benefits and extensive informational resources and technical assistance to help them develop and execute energy efficiency programs. The communities will have access to guidance for creating an energy plan, case studies on what similar cities (and utilities) and doing to save energy, names of companies that work with communities, opportunities to apply for seed grants to get an energy plan started, a community liaison for the duration of the competition, Webinars and workshops to support implementation of a plan, and many more resources.
Communities will work in partnership with their local governments, residents, and utilities to reduce energy consumption over a two-year period. A judging committee, to be announced in late 2014, will evaluate competitors on a specific set of weighted objectives, including their ability to:
- Spur innovative, replicable, scalable, and continual approaches for communities to decrease their energy consumption;
- Highlight best practices for working with utilities, businesses, and local governments to create and implement inventive plans for increased energy efficiency;
- Educate the public and engage residents on energy efficiency issues, including methods, benefits, and the environmental costs of the full fuel cycle; and
- Collaborate with schools to educate and inspire the next generation of energy efficiency leaders in the United States.
A total of 51 communities publicly signaled their intent to compete in the Georgetown University Energy Prize on April 23 from such widespread and diverse locations as Fairbanks, Alaska; Huntsville, Alabama; Durango, Colorado; St. Petersburg, Florida; Dubuque, Iowa; Cambridge, Massachusetts; Duluth, Minnesota; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Blacksburg, Virginia; and Walla Walla, Washington.
“We’re thrilled by the tremendous enthusiasm and excitement we’ve seen for the Georgetown University Energy Prize in just the last few months,” said Dr. Francis Slakey, Executive Director of the Prize. “Despite the many initiatives and incentives available, the adoption rate for energy efficiency programs remains at about five percent. We need radical thinking, starting at the community level, to fix this ‘stuck’ problem—and that’s what the Prize is all about.”
The Georgetown University Program on Science in the Public Interest is leading the Prize with support from the McDonough School of Business Global Social Enterprise Initiative and the Georgetown University Environment Initiative. The Prize has received support and encouragement from several organizations, including the U.S. Department of Energy, The Joyce Foundation, and the American Gas Association. The GUEP Sponsors, Collaborators and Advisors Web page contains an up-to-date list of collaborators, and explains how these organizations will play a role in the competition.
Fundraising for the $5 million prize purse is ongoing, notes Georgetown, and a complete list of financial sponsors will be announced in late 2014. Although led by Georgetown University, all funding for the prize purse is being provided by private, outside donations. To learn more about the Prize and to track the competition’s progress, visit the Georgetown University Energy Prize Web site, or follow the Prize on Twitter (@GUEnergyPrize).
