LANCASTER, CA — (Marketwire) — 09/01/11 — The City of Lancaster, California has taken a historic step towards becoming one of the first “Net Zero Cities” in the world. The Lancaster City Council unanimously approved a Memorandum of Understanding with Beautiful Earth Group for the development of a partnership to establish Lancaster as a Net Zero City. Net Zero Cities produce as much energy from sustainable sources, such as solar energy, as they consume. This dramatically reduces their carbon emissions. New technologies such as energy storage, supply and demand management and the “smart grid” are used to save energy and money — all good news for consumers as prices for oil and energy continue to rise.
Lancaster, known as the “Alternative Energy Capital of the World,” is well situated to benefit from the rapid increase in solar energy investment throughout the area. Applications for more than 4,000 megawatts of generation by photovoltaic (PV) electricity plants have been received in California–s High Desert / Antelope Valley region. This provides Lancaster with a wide range of options to reduce its carbon output by using clean energy coupled with energy saving techniques in the future.
Lancaster–s goal of becoming a Net Zero City will encourage global investment in the city and will fulfill Beautiful Earth–s mission to supply municipalities and businesses with clean, green energy. “This important agreement will bring new jobs, energy security and a much healthier future to all of us in the Antelope Valley,” said Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris. “The Net Zero City project with Beautiful Earth Group has the potential to increase the quality of living and create thousands of new jobs focused on power conservation, systems to support the smart grid, clean energy generation, and downstream activities related to companies attracted to Lancaster for its ability to supply clean energy for their manufacturing, industrial and commercial processes.”
“As a Net Zero City, Lancaster will create a favorable impact on its immediate environment, and also contribute to improving the environment globally,” said Beautiful Earth CEO Lex Heslin. “The Net Zero City program will also put Lancaster at the top of the list when it comes to attracting –smart– industries. Smart industries are the revenue creators of the future. These businesses look to locate their plants in areas which have the right mix of energy sources, locational advantages and employment resources to fulfill their environmentally responsible corporate missions.”
Beautiful Earth is serving as advisor to the City in its development into a Net Zero City. The company will work on feasibility studies, general concepts and designs for the project and will select and present to the City of Lancaster for its approval potential suppliers and service providers.
Founded in 2008, Beautiful Earth Group is a privately funded firm investing exclusively in clean energy generation and technology. It develops, owns and operates utility-scale sustainable energy generating facilities in the United States and overseas. Beautiful Earth Group is also investing extensively in sustainable infrastructure and other cleantech projects and services throughout the world. In 2009 the company built the first solar-powered electric vehicle charging station in New York City and in December 2010 the company broke ground on its Del Sur Solar power plant in the Antelope Valley. Del Sur Solar comprises two 19 megawatt utility-scale solar generation facilities. The company–s headquarters are in New York City, with representatives in Newport Beach, California and Tokyo, Japan. For more information please visit .
Lancaster, California is located in the Mojave Desert region of north Los Angeles County approximately 70 miles north of the city of Los Angeles. It has a population of 156,633 and its Mayor is Mr. R. Rex Parris. Lancaster is just south of the Tehachapi Mountains, which host one of the world–s largest wind farms. Utility-scale solar is developing rapidly in the Antelope Valley. In August 2011, First Solar broke ground on its 230 MW AV Solar Ranch One. Lancaster is the site of the country–s first power tower by eSolar (5 MW), has a partnership with SolarCity which has put thousands of modules on Lancaster roofs, and has hosted BYD and KB Home in building net-zero homes in west Lancaster. The city created the Lancaster Power Authority (LPA) in 2010 and formed the High Desert Power Authority to assist in transmission of renewable energy. For more information please visit .
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Beautiful Earth Group
Amanda Cleary
(718) 488-8426
City of Lancaster
Joseph Cabral
(661) 723-6053