Fort Wayne – Accelerate Indiana Municipalities (Aim) announced Fort Wayne has earned the Green Project of the Year Award for its Utilities Microgrid. The city was honored with the award on Wednesday, October 10th during the Annual Awards Luncheon – presented by Baker Tilly Municipal Advisors, LLC at the 2024 Aim Ideas Summit in Fort Wayne.
Fort Wayne City Utilities innovative Microgrid Project addresses environmental changes, energy cost savings and resilience by integrating renewable energy sources like solar and battery storage with natural gas generation to power critical water and wastewater facilities.
In response to Fort Wayne’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, the city developed a strategy to reduce dependency on traditional utilities and increase energy resiliency. By modeling over 25,000 scenarios and partnering with experts, Fort Wayne implemented a 5-megawatt solar array, additional natural gas-driven generation, and battery storage. This project secures the city’s utilities against future energy cost increases while enhancing sustainability and service quality.
“When I learned of this project I was in awe at the innovation and creativity happening in Fort Wayne. This huge undertaking will positively impact Fort Wayne residents for decades to come, said Aim CEO Matt Greller. This project will most certainly be held up as a model for municipal utilities around the country.”
Aim launched the Green Communities Initiative in 2008 in conjunction with Christopher B. Burke Engineering, LLC, to identify potential cost savings to communities facing budget shortfalls, promote economically competitive quality-of-life concepts, and ultimately serve as role models for citizens while better protecting our environment. The initiative has expanded educational opportunities for municipalities. Every year the program honors one outstanding project, which exemplifies the program’s ideals.
Conference Facts:
2024 Aim Ideas Summit
October 8-10, 2024
Grand Wayne Convention Center, Fort Wayne
Attendance: 1,000 (pending final registration count)
Further information: www.aimindiana.org
Since the 1890s, Aim, formerly the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, has been an advocate for Indiana municipalities. Aim is the official voice of municipal government in Indiana, with more than 460 cities and towns as members. Our purpose is to foster, promote and advocate for the success of Hoosier municipalities as laboratories of innovation, hubs of talent and the engines driving our state’s economy.