AUSTIN (KXAN) — A clean energy and mobility project that opened in the city of Austin nearly two years ago received recognition from the U.S. Department of Energy last month, the Austin Transportation and Public Works Department shared in a newsletter Monday.
The federal department shed light on Austin’s Georgian Acres Mobility Hub project, a solar-powered initiative created to aid residents in need of transit access. Project features include a bus solar shelter, wireless internet access, LED lighting and charging access for personal devices as well as electric scooters and e-bikes, per the announcement.
The Illuminating Engineering Society recognized the Austin mobility hub project as one of 18 organizations amplified by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Integrated Lighting Campaign. Specifically, the Georgian Acres project received kudos in the categories of Advanced Use of Sensors and Controls for Lighting as well as the Energy Justice, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Advanced Lighting, city officials noted.
The city of Austin developed the project in collaboration with the University of Texas at Austin’s architecture department, SAT Energy and the nonprofit Jail to Jobs. As a result of the project, its annual energy savings amount to roughly 128,000 kilowatts and has reduced the city’s greenhouse gas emissions by 90 tons, or the annual amount of emissions produced by 21 gas-powered vehicles.
“These projects and partners are proof positive that our nation is well on its way not only to meet its ambitious decarbonization goals but also to ensure the benefits of these technologies directly reach and impact every American community,” said Hayes Jones, acting director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office, in the release.
More details on the project are available online.