Arendal

The Royal Energy Award is set up to support local authorities in Europe that overcome the obstacles involved in the challenge of a change to cleaner energy practices. The Award will be issued every second year. For 2006 the Award will concentrate on the Nordic countries. The Award ceremony will take place in October 2006 in Arendal, Norway. The Award is initiated by City of Arendal in Norway, together with the Royal Awards, the local energy supplier Agder Energi and the Norwegian office of UNEP(GRID).

The Challenge
We live in a society shaped by our need for energy.
Facts:
• In order to function, society depends on access to energy
• The conventional energy sector puts severe pressure on the environment through:
- emission of gases contributing to global climate change
- contribution to local and regional air pollution
- physical changes to the natural environment
• Green technology based on renewable resources does exist, and can be successfully implemented. The challenge remains to empower action in order to deal with this dilemma.

The Objectives
• Support practical action in European local authorities by increasing knowledge of replicable practices.
• Encourage European local authorities to integrate environmental concerns into the management of the energy sector, thus extending efforts initiated at the European level.
• Provide positive examples and reward results that are documented.

Criteria for the Competition
The Award will name and fame local authorities that succeed in a combination of the following:
• Achieve energy saving and increased energy effectiveness
• Exchange non-renewable energy with renewable energy
• Reduce the environmental impact of energy production and consumption
• Provide predictable and affordable access to energy
• Document and communicate their work and results on the above points.

What is required to participate?
In order to participate in the competition for the award, your region will need to prepare a presentation of maximum 20 pages containing:
• A description of what is done in relation to each of the criteria described above
• Documentation/evaluation of the effect this has on the energy system in the region
• Illustrations to further explain actions and effects
It is worth noting that the ability to document and communicate the work and the results is part of the criteria on which the presentation is judged.

Selection of Nominees
Based on the presentations received, a professional jury will select one candidate from each of the Nordic countries, who will be the final nominees and will be invited to make their presen¬tations at the award ceremony in Arendal on the 16. October 2006.
During this event each of the five nominees will be given approximately 30 minutes to present their work and their ideas during the plenary session. They will also be invited to create an exhibition for further presentation of their work.
Following the presentations, the jury will evaluate the nominees, end the final Award will be presented at a dinner the same evening.
All participants in the competition, as well as other interested regions and communities, are invited to this event. The award ceremony is arranged in combination with a regional energy conference staged by Agder Energiforum. Please refer to the programme sketch for further details.

Sign up
For planning purposes we request that communities/regions that are interested and intend to participate in the competition send please go to www.energyaward.com, fill in an a declaration of intent as soon as possible, and at the latest by 07. April 2006.

This may be sent to the address below, or to e-mail trond.gunnar.hansen@arendal.kommune.no.

Receipt of Presentations
Deadline for receipt of the written presentations by the organisers is: 09. June 2006.

The presentations should be sent to:
Arendal kommune
Attention Trond G. Hansen,
Serviceboks 650
N-4809 ARENDAL, Norway