The technology behind the Sprout Weather Kiosk next to the North Carolina Estuarium has been nominated for an Innovative Technology Renewable Energy Excellence Award by Renewable Energy World.

Late last year, with support from the Energy Division of the N.C. Department of Commerce and many others, Washington installed its kiosk Dec. 9.

“Please help us beat the rest of the country and draw attention to a product designed and manufactured in our own backyard,” reads an email from the city.

To vote for Sprout (as its referred to on the list of nominees), visit http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/awards/2012/vote.

The winner will receive the Readers’ Choice Award at the Excellence in Renewable Energy Awards ceremony, which takes place during the Renewable Energy World North America Conference & Expo in Long Beach, Calif., Feb. 14-16.

The kiosk is used to educate students and others about wind power and solar power. It includes solar panels, a wind turbine and weather station. It is designed to withstand winds up to 130 mph.

It was invented by a team of architects, boat-builders and engineers from eastern North Carolina, two of which live in Washington.

“The data generated from all three components serves an exhibit to educate students and the general public,” reads a city memorandum. “The integrated information appears on an intuitive dashboard to help connect weather to the renewable energy it can produce. The stand-alone kiosk is powered by its energy systems to go anywhere with minimal infrastructure coordination. The Sprout kiosk connects technology and information seamlessly transforming the process for learning about clean energy. The full size components are easy to see and Sprout displays real time data on its screen and through a web-interface to any location.”

“At Sprout Energy, we recognize the tremendous need to demystify renewable energy and have it become more familiar in daily life. People are hearing a lot about clean energy, but not many have experienced it up close or can connect it to the weather around them,” reads a blog on the Sprout Energy Corp. website. “We know from our conversations with students and other passer(s)by that conversations about renewable energy often turns to a conversation about consumption and further energy efficiency. Those conversations are the ones that we hope will impact new energy choices.”