LOS ANGELES (September 15, 2021) — The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), along with eight other publicly-owned electric utilities and water agencies, were recognized in the 2021 California Municipal Utilities Association (CMUA) Resource Efficiency & Community Service Awards for outstanding projects advancing best practices and innovative ideas in the water and power industry. LADWP took top honors in the Community Service Programs category for its facility, La Kretz Innovation Campus (LKIC), and its continued commitment to sustainability and L.A.’s green economy.
“We are honored to be selected for this award,” said Martin L. Adams, General Manager and Chief Engineer of LADWP. “Developed with a commitment to sustainability, the La Kretz Innovation Campus is a hub for new and emerging technologies and a major part of our work to create a more sustainable future and build a stronger Los Angeles.”
LKIC is a LADWP facility and is the office for a number of LADWP staff and of the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), a private nonprofit company run by entrepreneurs that is dedicated to supporting LA’s green economy. Having a utility in close proximity to clean-tech startups creates a synergistic opportunity to support product development, marketplace deployment, and utility program design that brings benefits to LADWP customers. The new companies nurtured at LACI will help LADWP and the city reduce dependence on imported supplies, conserve the use of natural resources, and reduce the emission of criteria air pollutants and greenhouse gases. As a living lab for new and emerging technologies, the LKIC facility includes a wide range of demonstration and public education spaces, offices and meeting rooms, and access to equipment for facilitating product research and development.
According to the program guidelines, each nominated project was judged in four areas: a) the program’s overall concept and implementation; b) originality, creativity and innovativeness; c) promotion of efficient use of natural resources and/or serving local community needs; and d) benefits to customers and/or the community.
“These awards show how we’re continuing to support and advance California’s resource efficiency goals while providing quality service and innovative solutions to our customers, even in the most difficult times during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said CMUA Executive Director Barry Moline. “I’m proud of CMUA members for taking the initiative.”
Selected by an independent panel of judges, the first-place winners also include projects and programs from the Eastern Municipal Water District, Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District, City of Healdsburg Electric Department, Orange County Water District, Redding Electric Utility, Mesa Water District, City of Sacramento Department of Utilities, and Silicon Valley Power.
The judges serving on the awards panel were Michael Colvin, director of regulatory and legislative affairs, California Energy Program, at the Environmental Defense Fund; Tom Ferguson, managing partner at Burnt Island Ventures and former manager of the Imagine H2O water innovation accelerator; and Pete Garris, former manager and executive with the Western Area Power Administration, California Department of Water Resources, California Independent System Operator, Northern California Power Agency and Consolidated Edison Company of New York.
For more information on the La Kretz Innovation Campus, click here.
For more information on the award winners, click here.
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About The California Municipal Utilities Association (CMUA)
The California Municipal Utilities Association (CMUA) represents 75 publicly-owned electric utilities and water agencies statewide. Together, CMUA members provide water service to more than 70 percent of Californians and electric service to 25 percent of the state. For more information, please visit www.cmua.org
