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Beyond the Meter: Energy Storage Integration Prize

$200,000 prize for companies and coalitions that demonstrate their grid-edge technology and plans to integrate with partners in the grid.
Energy, Environment & Resources Government Technology
stage:
Informational Webinar
prize:
$200,000
Energy, Environment & Resources Government Technology
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Summary
Background Challenge Overview GRIT Prize Series Who Can Participate? Guidelines

Background

 

The electricity grid is transforming rapidly due to the large influx of clean energy. Historically, the grid comprised one-way energy transactions from centralized power stations down to the consumers. Today, there are more players in the grid, such as homeowners and business owners with residential solar, wind turbines, microgrids, generators, and on-site energy storage systems (ESS), creating new types of interactions on a two-way grid.  

The Beyond the Meter: Energy Storage Integration Prize, funded by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Electricity (OE), is focused on the grid edge, or where buildings, industry, transportation, renewable energies, storage, and the electric grid come together. Grid edge is a leading area of the electricity evolution, where electricity changes from being a one-way grid to a two-way grid with homeowners and business owners storing and transmitting energy from behind-the-meter. To have a smooth energy transition, the many new and emerging components of the grid must work together. This prize will highlight grid-edge technology solutions around ESS that enable different technologies to integrate and operate together, contributing to a more resilient, efficient, and sustainable energy ecosystem. 

Challenge Overview


In this one-phase prize, companies and coalitions will:  

  • Share how their behind-the-meter grid-edge technology solution supports improved integration with different energy systems and vendors in the grid 
  • Outline a plan to partner and integrate with grid-edge technology vendors 
  • Describe their approach to demonstrate their technology and plans to collaborate with other grid industry leaders at DISTRIBUTECH 2025.  

Up to two teams will win $100,000 each and the unique opportunity to showcase their technology at DISTRIBUTECH on March 25, 2025, in Dallas. This conference will give winning teams a chance to leverage partnership opportunities and brand recognition with other DISTRIBUTECH attendees. The DOE’s OE will provide winners with ample booth space to demonstrate their products. The winning teams will also have networking opportunities including a “speed-dating” event to connect with grid-edge technology vendors interested in partnership opportunities.   

For more information about the goals of this prize, please refer to the Official Rules document.

GRIT Prize Series


The Beyond the Meter Prize is just one impactful component of the Grid Resource Integration Technologies (GRIT) Prize Series, a joint partnership between the Office of Electricity and other DOE offices. This prize series catalyzes partnerships to enable higher integration of grid-edge technologies, improving the overall efficiency and reliability of the power system. 

Who Can Participate?


This prize is best suited for companies and coalitions already working on behind the meter grid-edge technology solutions.   

For full eligibility requirements, read the Official Rules.    

Guidelines

 

Please review the Official Rules for the complete application process and instructions for competing.

If you want to receive updates on the prize or have any questions, please subscribe by using the follow feature on the HeroX platform or message us directly at .

 

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Timeline
Updates4

Challenge Updates

Informational Webinar Recording and Slides Now Available

Oct. 1, 2024, 1:55 p.m. PDT by Stacey Baxter

Did you miss the Beyond the Meter: Energy Storage Integration Prize Informational Webinar? We’ve got you covered! A recording of the webinar and the slides are now available in the Resources tab.   

Stream this valuable session now and check out the slides to catch up on any prize details you may have missed. 

Watch the webinar recording to learn more about: 

  • Prize goals 
  • Eligibility 
  • Official prize rules 
  • Submission requirements 
  • DISTRIBUTECH 2025 
  • And more    

Please remember, the deadline to submit your entry to the Beyond the Meter Prize is Dec. 12. You can get started by accessing the official prize rules. 

Still have questions? Email electricityprize@nrel.gov and prize administrators will respond to your questions. You can also use the public HeroX forum to ask questions and spark discussions with Beyond the Meter community members. 

REMINDER: Informational Webinar is Tomorrow at 12 p.m. ET

Sept. 23, 2024, 7:18 a.m. PDT by Stacey Baxter

Don’t forget to attend tomorrow’s Beyond the Meter Prize Informational Webinar! If you haven’t already, sign up for the webinar. During this one-hour webinar, the prize administrators will go over important information about the prize including key dates, submission requirements, and how to navigate HeroX. In addition, attending the webinar will give you the chance to ask any questions you have.  

If you can’t make the webinar, a recording will be posted to this page soon after the event. 

What's Next  

  • Follow the Beyond the Meter Prize HeroX page to stay up to date on all announcements, deadlines, and more (including when the Informational Recording is available) 
  • Sign up for the Informational Webinar on Sept. 24 at 12 p.m. ET to learn more about the prize, submission requirements, and competitor eligibility 
  • Read the Official Rules to learn more about the prize.   

Submissions close Dec. 12, 2024. We look forward to seeing your application! 

One Week to Go: Register for the Informational Webinar

Sept. 17, 2024, 8:39 a.m. PDT by Stacey Baxter

Join us Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 12 p.m. ET for the Beyond the Meter: Energy Storage Integration Prize Informational Webinar. During the webinar, interested applicants will hear about: 

  • Competitor eligibility 
  • Submission requirements 
  • Key dates 
  • Invaluable benefits of showcasing your winning solution at DISTRIBUTECH 2025.  

Plus, there will be a Q&A session at the end of the webinar where participants can get live answers from prize administrators.   

This information, and more, can be found in the Official Rules document. We highly recommend reading the rules in their entirety before uploading a submission. NOTE: The Official Rules were updated on Sept. 13. They now include additional language about the U.S. Department of Energy's rights to information for evaluation purposes. 

Can’t make it to the first webinar? We’ve got you covered! A recording of the webinar will be available shortly after the event on HeroX.   

Make sure you’re following the Beyond the Meter Prize HeroX page to receive an email notification when the recording is published.   

Register for the Sept. 24 webinar today! 

Now Open—Beyond the Meter: Energy Storage Integration Prize

Sept. 12, 2024, 7:36 a.m. PDT by Stacey Baxter

Welcome to the Beyond the Meter: Energy Storage Integration Prize! This $200,000 prize is perfect for companies and coalitions interested in integrating their grid-edge technology with other grid-edge vendors. This prize will enable up to two winners to: 

  • Display their behind-the-meter (BTM) grid-edge technology as part of the Office of Electricity’s booth at DISTRIBUTECH 2025 (the premier annual event for transmission and distribution, showcasing cutting-edge technologies that power our homes and businesses) 
  • Participate in networking events at DISTRIBUTECH with the goal of finding vendors to integrate BTM grid-edge technology 
  • Win up to $100,000 ($50,000 after the announcement of Phase 1 winners and $50,000 after their attendance and participation in DISTRIBUTECH). 

Renewable energy reaches maximum efficiency when different parts of the grid operate together, contributing to a more resilient, efficient, and sustainable energy ecosystem. Yet today, many parts of the grid don’t talk to each other. In the Beyond the Meter Prize, competitors will unlock the potential of BTM storage by creating a unified approach for many parts of the grid to operate together. 

This single-phase prize has a submission deadline of Dec. 12, 2024. Eligible participants will:  

  • Share how their BTM grid-edge technology solution supports improved integration with different energy systems and vendors in the grid  
  • Outline a plan to partner and integrate with grid-edge technology vendors  
  • Describe their approach to demonstrate their technology and plans to collaborate with other grid industry leaders at DISTRIBUTECH 2025.   

Interested in learning more? Register for the Informational Webinar, taking place on Sept. 24 at 12 p.m. ET. During this webinar, you’ll learn about prize eligibility, submission requirements, how to navigate HeroX, and the benefits of showcasing your winning solution at DISTRIBUTECH.  

To receive notifications about this prize, follow the page on HeroX by clicking the Follow button in the top right corner.  

 

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