Highlands Ranch - Alternative Fuel City of the Future

The ThunderRidge High School Science Club will explore the strategic and tactical plans to convert the potential city of Highlands Ranch to an alternative fuel/renewable energy economy.

VISION:
By year 2020, City of Highlands Ranch is the worldwide leader and think tank for alternative fuel research, business development and promotion of energy efficient products and services. The city’s infrastructure is designed to create a local economy that is energy self-sufficient and grows city revenues by becoming partners and shareholders with the alternative fuel and renewable energy industries.

The potential City of Highlands Ranch is not the traditional, old school municipality offering an array of local services that demands an increase in personnel, equipment and property taxes. The sole charter is to make the city less energy dependant on foreign oil and invest the revenues back to the residential property and commercial owners in the form of stable taxes and tax credits. The goal results are twofold: (1) Deploy renewable energy sources and (2) increase city revenues.

Strategic and tactical plans will be studied to convert the potential city of Highlands Ranch to an alternative fuel/renewable energy economy.

The feasibility study will include:
- sales tax revenue structure
- alternative fuel business development
- profit sharing/revenue sharing plans with alternative fuel enterprises
- alternative fuel scientific research & enterprise zones with planned zoning
- federal, state and county alternative fuel/energy incentives and grants to attract global enterprises to relocate to Highlands Ranch
- city personnel organization chart

Technologies To Be Explored (but not limited to):
- solar
- wind
- bio fuel
- hydrogen fuel (cells)
- ethanol
- sugar
- electric autos
- “Greasel”
- clean diesel
- natural gas auto (with fill-up station in your garage)

Homeowners and Commercial Property Owners - tax credits and rebates:
- Upgrade heating and cooling appliances to high efficiency units.
- Solar cell roof panels, excess electricity is sold back to Xcel Energy
- Like cellular phone towers, residential wind turbines are installed in strategic locations to generate electricity for wide areas.
- State, Federal and corporate incentives are offered in the form of tax credits and rebates

Transportation
- Auto manufacturers use Highlands Ranch as the city leader in transforming Highlands Ranch drivers over to alternative fuel automobiles.
- Filling stations are retro-fitted to accommodate alternative fuels
- Natural gas filling pumps in residential garages
- Hydrogen economy begins to nurture and grow in Highlands Ranch

Commercial Property Owners and Developers
- Special property tax incentives are offered to attract and retain alternative fuel industries and new business start-ups to Highlands Ranch to explore, research and develop and go-to-market sales alternative fuel technologies.
- Highlands Ranch encourages venture capitalists to offer VC money to alternative enterprises
- Highlands Ranch partners with start-up companies by receiving a “stake” in the business. Highlands Ranch receives a “alternative fuel scientific zone annuity” that generates incremental income for the city.
- Incremental income is reinvested into the infrastructure to continue the lessoning of dependence on fossil fuels.

Vision of Success
- All residents and commercial property owners are less dependent on foreign oil.
- All residents and commercial property owners realize substantial heating and cooling savings over a period of time.
- Residents receive rebate checks from local utilities due to selling excess power back
- County, State and Federal officials assist financially along with bipartisan cooperation to transform Highlands Ranch to the worldwide recognized leader in alternative fuels research, sales and helping the residents and commercial property owners to achieve the goal of reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

Summary
City Highlands Ranch becomes the 21st Century thought leader to establish “Alternative Fuel Scientific Research Zones” for alternative fuel and renewable energy businesses; encourage research and development enterprises to relocate to Highlands Ranch and form alternative fuel partnerships; Highlands Ranch participates in co-op revenue sharing arrangements with alternative fuel enterprises; Highlands Ranch becomes the worldwide think-tank for alternative fuel exploration, development and go-to-market sales.

Highlands Ranch property owners reap the benefits of these partnerships by receiving huge financial incentives to install roof-top solar cells, back-up generators, and wind turbines. Alternative fuel automobiles and fuels are available to Highlands Ranch residents at a discount. Highlands Ranch becoming a Hydrogen-Hub becomes a reality.

Goal is to get Highlands Ranch “off the grid”.

Bookmark this Blog address or subscribe to the Blog using RSS to receive regular updates on the Science Clubs progress.