Danish wind energy giant Vestas has been awarded the US$1.5 million Zayed Future Energy Prize for its contribution to the global renewable energy industry. But no sooner had the award been accepted before Vestas CEO Ditlev Engel split half the prize money among three other finalists.
Vestas was chosen a winner above a field of 391 submissions from 69 countries at a gala presentation in Abu Dhabi. Presenting the award, former Nobel Peace Prize laureate and chairman of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Dr. RK Pachauri, described Vestas as “fully meeting the three criteria of the prize – innovation, leadership and a long term vision."
The recipients of Engel’s surprise donations will each receive $250,000 towards furthering their achievements in their respective renewable energy fields. They are all companies who were judged to have made significant contributions to enhancing the profile of renewable energy. They are:
– Barefoot College, a solar energy training institution in India which teaches rural women how to develop solar technologies in their communities.
– First Solar, an Arizona solar panel manufacturer, focused on providing affordable thin-film solar cell technology to a global market.
– Terry Tamminen, CEO and Founder of 7th Generation Advisors, for his work in developing renewable energy solutions in California. Tamminen also helped legislate California’s global warming law AB 32.
Often called the "Energy World Nobel Prize," the Zayed Future Energy Prize was created by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates.
