Tuesday 21 December 2010

Shortlist chosen for Zayed Future Energy Prize

A research station in Antarctica running entirely on renewable energy, a manufacturer of solar air-conditioning units and one of the top environmentalists in the US are among the entries in the running for the Zayed Future Energy Prize this year.

Belgium's Princess Elisabeth Antarctica Station, the Swedish solar company ClimateWell and Terry Tamminen, the former head of California's Environmental Protection Agency, are on a shortlist of 40 candidates announced this week for the $1.5 m prize.

The prize, named after Sheikh Zayed, the founding president of the UAE, awards outstanding work in the field of renewable energy. In addition to first prize, two runners-up will receive $350,000.

The shortlist was selected by a group of local and international experts and drawn from 391 entries. Almost half of the 18 shortlisted entries are from the US, with the rest coming from 12 other countries including the UK, India, the Netherlands, China, Brazil, Japan, Denmark and Croatia.

The prize will be awarded on January 18 as part of the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi. Former winners include Dipal Barua from Bangladesh, who through his organisation, Grameen Shakti, is providing solar electricity systems to millions of people in rural parts of the country. In 2010, Toyota was honoured for creating the first mass-produced hybrid car, the Toyota Prius.