It's the year 2020 and a typical household produces 50 percent of their electrical needs from a rooftop solar panel.

The scientific energy industrial park off of Lucent Blvd has 50 wind turbines producing enough electricity to power the entire Town Center and local neighborhoods within a 5-mile radius.

Local residents receive an annual dividend check rebated back from local renewable energy and alternative fuel industries that relocated here 13 years ago.

In 2020, they are producing solar panels, bio fuel technology and other innovative foreign oil reduction tactics that earns a profit for the taxpayers.

The entire community was transformed into an energy efficiency enterprise that other local, state and federal agencies are now replicating Highlands Ranch's innovative consumption tax models that produces local revenue while keeping local taxes low. And it all started in 2006, at ThunderRidge High School.

The ThunderRidge high school "City of the Future" Science Club senior project team members are Ashleigh Warntjes, Andy Furze, Kush Agarwal, John Callahan and Phil Clukies. Mr. Steve Taraborelli initiated this idea, and Mr. Wilbur Sameshima, a ThunderRidge Science Teacher and Science Club Advisor, also assists the students.

We meet once a week to formulate a strategic business plan to hopefully one day offer the voters of Highlands Ranch a city charter plan, such as the description above, that just focuses on alternative fuel and renewable energy programs that will take Highlands Ranch "off the grid."

"Somebody at the grassroots level needs to take the initiative to reduce our dependence on foreign oil," Andy Furze, Science Club project team member states. "How this transformation starts is one house, one street, and one neighborhood block at a time," he further adds.

Burt Automotive located in Centennial, CO presented the Science Club research team a check for $5,000 that will enable the City of the Future research project to be updated and refined for the next 2 to 3 years.

For more information about the ThunderRidge high school "City of the Future" Science Club senior project, please visit our project website journal at: http://renewablehighlandsranch.blogsome.com