The American-Made Geothermal Manufacturing Prize (Geothermal Prize) is designed to spur innovation and address manufacturing challenges fundamental to operating in harsh geothermal environments. This prize further supports the ability of the geothermal industry to reach the target of 60 GWe of geothermal capacity by 2050 as outlined in the recently released GeoVision study .
As part of the American-Made Challenges series, the Geothermal Prize unites the world’s best-in-class research base with the unparalleled entrepreneurial support system of the American-Made Network. Consisting of pioneering maker spaces, dozens of energy incubators, universities, and 17 DOE National Laboratories, the Network is primed to create a sweeping portfolio of innovations to demonstrate the promise of additive manufacturing.
Prize Stages
Competitors in the Ready!, Set!, Make!, and Geo! Contests participate in four escalating challenges. The contests provide a total of $4.65 million in incentives—$3.25 million in cash prizes, $1 million in vouchers, and $400,000 in field testing costs—to incentivize driving additively manufactured geothermal innovations from concept to prototype testing in two years through an accelerated schedule.
Guidelines
Challenge Guidelines
Please review theofficial rules for the complete application process and instructions for competing.
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See who becomes a Geothermal Manufacturing Prize semifinalist and learn about a new prize at tomorrow’s NextGen Geo event! Tune in at 1 p.m. ET to hear industry thought leaders and U.S. Department of Energy leadership speak about opportunities to impact the clean energy economy through geothermal workforce development. Plus, a networking event and several big announcements, including:
Geothermal Collegiate Competition finalist teams
Geothermal Prize semifinalists
A prize competition aimed at developing technical solutions for economic extraction of lithium from geothermal brines.
Whether you’re actively participating in the Geothermal Manufacturing Prize or looking for new opportunities to impact the clean every economy, we highly recommend you tune in for this announcement.
Find out who moves on to the Make! Contest and learn about the latest prize competition tomorrow, March 31 at 1 p.m. ET.
Only a week until the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces the Geothermal Prize semifinalists at the NextGen Geo event. During this time, DOE leadership will announce up to 10 semifinalist teams that will split a $1 million cash prize and $750,000 in technical support vouchers. These teams will then be eligible to compete in the Make! Contest.
The NextGen Geo event will feature additional announcements, including details about a new prize aimed at developing technical solutions for economic extraction of lithium from geothermal brines. Industry guest speakers will join to talk about advancements in geothermal technology and workforce development opportunities. Guest speakers include:
Jamie Beard: Executive Director, The Geothermal Entrepreneurship Organization at the University of Texas at Austin
Alexander Grant: Principal, Jade Cove Partners
Tim Latimer: CEO, Fervo Energy
The event will conclude with a networking session where you’ll get to connect with other industry professionals and entrepreneurs.
The Geothermal Prize administrators invite all prize participants and others interested in learning about opportunities in the clean energy industry to join the NextGen Geo event on March 31 at 1 p.m. ET. RSVP now to claim your spot for this exciting event!
Have you registered for the NextGen Geo Event on March 31? During this event, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) leadership will announce the Geothermal Manufacturing Prize semifinalists who will split a $1 million cash prize pool and continue on to the Make! Contest.
Additionally, the event will feature several industry thought leaders who will speak about opportunities for geothermal workforce development. Plus, there will be a networking session for those in the geothermal industry and beyond.
During the NextGen Geo event, DOE leadership will also unveil a new prize competition aimed at developing technical solutions for economic extraction of lithium from geothermal brines in the Salton Sea. Whether you’re actively participating in the Geothermal Manufacturing Prize or looking for new opportunities to impact the clean every economy, we highly recommend you tune in for this announcement.
On Wednesday, March 31, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will announce the Geothermal Manufacturing Prize semifinalists as part of the virtual NextGen Geo event. Up to 10 teams will be selected as semifinalists, splitting a $1 million cash prize pool and moving on to compete in the Make! Contest. All participating teams in the Set! Contest are invited to attend the NextGen Geo event to hear the announcement, learn about a new prize opportunity, and attend an industry networking session.
About the NextGen Geo Event
The United States is now charting a course towards net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, millions of good-paying union jobs in a green economy, and the guarantee that every American worker and community can find prosperity in the clean energy revolution. In this new vision, geothermal has become a more desirable energy source than ever before. The geothermal community is seeking new leaders from diverse fields to help geothermal energy fulfill its role in revitalizing the U.S. energy and manufacturing sectors, support a more skilled workforce, and mitigate climate change. From engineers to entrepreneurs, the geothermal community wants to include you as we craft the future through geothermal technology development.
The Energy Department and National Renewable Energy Laboratory invite STEM-focused innovators and climate change champions to join the NextGen Geo Virtual Event on March 31, from 1-3:30 p.m. ET, to hear clean energy thought leaders speak about opportunities in the geothermal workforce and new ways to get involved in the geothermal community.
Alongside guest speakers, DOE leadership will announce a prize competition aimed at developing technical solutions for economic extraction of lithium from geothermal brines, as well as finalists in the Spring 2021 Geothermal Collegiate Competition and semifinalists in the American-Made Geothermal Manufacturing Prize. Lastly, the NextGen Geo event will conclude with a networking event and student career panel.
Geothermal Manufacturing Prize Set! submissions are due tomorrow, Feb. 17, by 5 p.m. ET. If you haven’t already submitted your entry, we highly recommend doing so now to avoid potential internet issues and slow upload speeds.
As a reminder, here’s what you need to include in your Set! submission:
Up to 120-second video (to be made public, not scored)
Cover page content (to be made public, not scored)
One PowerPoint slide (to be made public, not scored)
Voucher work slide (to be made public, not scored)
Technical narrative about the problem, innovation, team, and plan (not public, scored)
Letters of commitment or support (optional).
Up to 10 semifinalists will be selected to split a $1 million cash prize pool. Additionally, each winning team will earn $75,000 in support vouchers to be used at national labs and partner facilities.
If you have any questions ahead of the Set! submission deadline or if you experience technical difficulties when uploading your submission, please reach out to . If you experience technical difficulties when submitting and do not reach out until after the deadline, your entry will not be accepted.
