FortZED could make city a leader
Effort aims to turn UniverCity area into a Zero Energy District
Coloradoan
July 13, 2007
Imagine living in a city where the power produced by renewable and alternative energy practices exceeded the amount of energy residents consumed in a year.
On the heels of Fort Collins being recognized by a national magazine for its innovation comes another energizing effort: FortZED.
In one of the first tangible outcomes of the UniverCity Connections, which encompasses Old Town, the Colorado State University campus and the downtown river corridor, FortZED is a project that could help distinguish Fort Collins as a leader in alternative energy development.
FortZED seeks to transform the UniverCity area into a Zero Energy District, or ZED, meaning that the district would create as much thermal and electrical energy locally as it uses within its built environment. "Local" is defined as within a 50-mile radius of the district. Because a city built next to a coal mountain could effectively say it gets the majority of its energy from its local source, FortZED is taking the commitment a step further by requiring the energy generated to be clean energy balanced with efficiency and conservation to reach its net goal.
By capitalizing on CSU's existing technology and infrastructure as well as the Northern Colorado Clean Energy Cluster, local leaders are trying to bring $9 million in U.S. Department of Energy funding here to achieve the goals of FortZED, but $500,000 in local funding is still needed to apply for the grant. A local fundraising effort was launched Thursday. The DOE will select only six demonstration projects in the United States.
Proponents are approaching this project with realistic expectations that achieving this bold initiative will require social, regulatory and technological change. UniverCity Connections seeks to unite its already exceptional assets in harmony with the natural environment, so FortZED is an ideal vehicle for the collaborative program.
Rarely do we see such win-win situations between the economy and the environment. Reflecting Colorado's commitment toward developing alternative energy, Fort Collins and Northern Colorado have a viable opportunity to lead by example through FortZED.
|
