The Beyond the Meter: Energy Storage Integration Prize is a two-phase competition funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity and will foster the development of next-generation energy- storage-enabled solutions, paving the way for an efficient and affordable energy future. The prize offers a total prize pool of $3,400,000 in cash prizes and $800,000 in vouchers to be used at a DOE national laboratory across two phases with two separate tracks.
Behind-the-meter (BTM) storage is a powerful mechanism to lower energy costs for electricity consumers, delivering documented annual savings for households, reducing demand charges for commercial entities, and improving net present value for system owners. Realizing this potential, however, necessitates addressing existing interoperability challenges to ensure grid-wide coordination and efficient value stacking of BTM resources. BTM storage has the potential to unlock significant value for the grid and individual customers, especially when working in concert with other consumer-focused energy resources.
The high cost and engineering complexity of integrating and coordinating consumer-focused energy resources designed by different entities can result in missed opportunities to co-optimally operate these assets and maximize their potential benefits.
This prize will highlight innovative solutions that enhance affordability through integration and interoperability of BTM grid-edge technology and other grid-edge resources. By strategically deploying energy storage on consumers’ premises, the management of BTM assets can be optimized, facilitating the transition to a more reliable and affordable energy future.
Competitor Tracks
This prize includes two distinct tracks—one focused on residential solutions and the other focused on commercial and industrial solutions:
Residential Solution Track
Commercial/Industrial Solution Track.
For both tracks, this competition encourages companies to form coalitions to demonstrate products and strategic plans for integrating and managing BTM grid-edge technologies alongside BTM ESS while reducing transaction costs. DOE is seeking solutions that are fully-integrated BTM before connecting or interacting with the grid-edge technologies.
Submissions for the Residential Solution Track should highlight technologies that are intended for residential use (e.g., single-family homes, multifamily housing, apartments). Submissions for the Commercial/Industrial Solution Track should highlight technologies that are designed for larger-scale applications (e.g., commercial buildings, industrial facilities, warehouses, manufacturing plants, office complexes).
Prizes
The Beyond the Meter Prize offers a total prize pool of $3,400,000 in cash prizes and $800,000 in vouchers to be used at a DOE national laboratory across two phases with two separate tracks.
Phase 1 - Introduction
Teams introduce their organization, present their products, and outline their strategic plans for further product development and collaboration with grid-edge technology vendors. Teams should work to identify other groups and vendors they can team with to create a coalition in Phase 2, where they can develop an interoperable product capable of seamless integration and effective management of BTM grid-edge technologies.
Up to three winning teams from each track—the Residential Solution Track and the Commercial/Industrial Solution Track—will receive up to $250,000 each in cash. Winning teams will receive $50,000 each after the announcement of Phase 1 winners and $200,000each after successfully attending and participating in the OE Energy Storage Peer Review in summer 2026.
Phase 1 winners are also eligible to each receive a $100,000 voucher to redeem at a single DOE national laboratory at the conclusion of Phase 2 after submitting a Phase 2 HeroX submission and attending and participating in the OE Energy Storage Peer Review in summer 2027. A national laboratory voucher is a funding mechanism that allows teams to collaborate with DOE national laboratories to access specialized expertise, facilities, and technologies for advancing research, development, and innovation.
Track
Winners
Prizes
Residential Solution Track
Up to three
$250,000 cash prize each and $100,000 voucher* each
Commercial/Industrial Solution Track
Up to three
$250,000 cash prize each and $100,000 voucher* each
*Phase 1 winners are eligible to receive a $100,000 voucher if they submit a Phase 2 HeroX submission and attend and participate in the OE Energy Storage Peer Review in summer 2027.
Phase 2 – Progress
Phase 1 winning teams will build on the foundation set in the first phase. Phase 2 requires teams to highlight significant progress in both their product development and collaboration efforts. Teams will be given sufficient time to refine their solutions, with the expectation that they will have formed a coalition to present a commercially ready product capable of seamless integration and effective management of BTM grid-edge technologies.
In summer 2027, teams must provide evidence of advancements of their product and its interoperability at the 2027 OE Energy Storage Peer Review, where judging will take place. At this event, up to one winner from each track will be awarded $950,000, making attendance at the 2027 OE Energy Storage Peer Review a requirement for winning. The Phase 2 winner will also be awarded an additional $100,000 voucher to redeem at a single DOE national laboratory at the conclusion of Phase 2.
Track
Winners
Prizes
Residential Solution Track
Up to one
$950,000 cash prize and $100,000 voucher
Commercial/Industrial Solution Track
Up to one
$950,000 cash prize and $100,000 voucher
Guidelines
Please review the Official Rules document 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 .
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 document.
Join the American-Made team at DTECH 2026 in sunny San Diego, CA, February 2–5!
We’re excited to announce that the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Electricity (OE) will be hosting a booth where past and future prize competitors can network and learn more about multiple new prizes, as well as other impactful funding opportunities and activities from OE.
As part of our commitment to engaging the community and advancing innovation, we are offering 50 expo-only tickets to potential participants who are interested in attending. These tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis, so don’t miss your chance to connect with us and learn more about how you can get involved.
To ensure fairness, we kindly ask that requests for free expo tickets be limited to a maximum of two per group.
PLUS: Interested applicants of the Beyond the Meter Prize are invited to a 90-minute networking session to learn more about the prize and connect with potential teammates.
Thank you for your continued interest in the Beyond the Meter Prize. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has been evaluating all funding opportunities, including prize challenges, to ensure appropriate resources are allocated efficiently, and that the Department's initiatives are in line with the statutory mission of DOE and the policies and priorities of the Administration and DOE. We appreciate your flexibility and patience during this process.
Prize administrators are pleased to inform you that after DOE's review, we are relaunching the Beyond the Meter Prize with a modified timeline, forthcoming rules document, and new prize pool. Please closely review the HeroX timeline for updated deadlines. We look forward to seeing your submissions after the prize reopens in early 2026.
Don’t forget to follow the prize on HeroX to receive important competition updates including a notification when the updated prize rules document is available.
The announcement of the Beyond the Meter Prize winner has been postponed until further notice. The HeroX timeline will be updated accordingly, and we will provide further revisions once the new announcement date is confirmed.
Due to this delay, we will no longer be recognizing winners at DISTRIBUTECH® 2025. Instead, we are actively seeking an alternative conference to highlight our winners once the announcement is made. The rules document will be updated accordingly once the new conference has been selected. All updates will be shared on this HeroX update page, and an alert will be issued when the winner announcement date is confirmed.
Thank you for your continued patience. We look forward to announcing the Beyond the Meter Prize winners as soon as possible.
Today’s the day! Make sure to press the submit button on your Beyond the Meter: Energy Storage Integration Prize application before 5 p.m. ET today. Late submissions will not be accepted, so prize administrators strongly recommend submitting prior to the 5 p.m. ET deadline to manage connectivity issues or slow upload speeds.
This is your chance to contribute to a more resilient, efficient, and sustainable energy ecosystem! Take the opportunity to meet potential grid partners to integrate your energy storage solution within the U.S. electricity grid.
Up to two winners will win a cash prize of $100,000 ($50,000 distributed at the time of the winner announcement and $50,000 distributed after participating in DISTRIBUTECH) and have exclusive opportunities to network with other grid vendors at DISTRIBUTECH 2025 with the goal of integrating technologies.
The Beyond the Meter Prize submission deadline is fast approaching on Dec. 12 at 5 p.m. ET. The prize administrators highly recommend uploading your submission as early as possible to avoid connectivity issues or upload delays.
Remember to include the following materials in your submission packet. Read the official rules for complete information on what to submit:
Cover page: List basic information about your submission, including project title, team name, short description, and key members.
Narrative: Use the five writing prompts in the official rules to guide your narrative. You may include up to ten supporting images, figures, or graphs. Narrative must not exceed 2,500 words (roughly 5 pages, not including captions, figures, or graphics).
Summary PowerPoint slide: Make a one-slide submission summary that introduces your team and mission.
Letters of commitment or support (optional): If you have a partner or others that are critical to the success of your proposed solution, add a letter of commitment or support to likely increase your score. General letters of support from parties that are not critical to the execution of your solution will likely not factor into your score.
Don’t miss this chance to showcase your grid-edge technology at the Office of Electricity’s DISTRIBUTECH booth and the opportunity to network with potential grid partners! Upload your Beyond the Meter Prize submission by 5 p.m. ET on Dec. 12.
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