Innovation happens when the right resources, people, and passion come together. With the Solar Prize, teams of creative individuals and entrepreneurs will advance conceptual solutions toward product realities with the support of a unique and powerful network and a chance to win up to $3 million in cash prizes.
A prize competition structured for success
The Solar Prize is an opportunity for anyone interested in accelerating ideas and solutions. The American-Made Network is designed to strengthen and scale the very best ideas and teams through three progressive prize competitions, the Ready! Set! Go! Contests. This network provides the tools and expertise to help projects succeed and is comprised of an unparalleled innovation system. These resources will provide technical insight, product validation, and strategic support to teams throughout the competition.
Competing in the prize is easy!
Identify an important problem you want to solve (discover ideas through ideation on HeroX)
Submit a 90-second video describing your challenge and proposed solution, team, and plan
Answer a short, four-question narrative and make a slide about this problem or challenge
Submit a two-page technical assistance request
Update your videos and statements as you advance through the contests.
More than $3 million in incentives for innovation
The Ready! Set! Go! Contests will fast-track efforts to identify, develop, and test disruptive solutions to solar industry needs for a total of $3 million in cash prizes and up to $525,000 in vouchers which can be used at national laboratories and other voucher facilities to develop, test, and validate. Each stage will have a 90-day performance period when participants work to advance their solutions.
Contest
Winners
Prizes
Ready!
20 to 40
$1,000,000 distributed equally with a range of $25,000 to $50,000 in cash per winner
Set!
5 to 10
$1,000,000 in cash and $375,000 in vouchers distributed within a range of $100,000 to $200,000 in cash and $37,500 to $75,000 in vouchers per winner
Go!
2
$500,000 in cash and up to $75,000 in vouchers per winner
The Ready! Set! and Go! Contests
Ideate
It all starts with a big idea. You can enter the Ready! Contest with an idea from the ideation platform or an idea that’s all your own. Once a completed package has been submitted on HeroX, your video will be made public and you’ll become part of the Ready! Contest.
Ready! Contest 90 days / 20-40 winners / up to $50,000 cash Winners will be selected after identifying an impactful idea or solution addressing a critical need in the solar industry;
Set! Contest 90 days / 5-10 winners / up to $200,000 prize and up to $75,000 in vouchers Competitors will work to substantially advance their technology solution toward a viable and promising proof of concept.
Go! Contest 90 days / 2 winners / $500,000 prize and up to $75,000 in vouchers Competitors will work to substantially advance their solution from proof of concept to a refined prototype and find a partner to perform a pilot test of the prototype.
Demo Days Competitors in the Set! and Go! Contests pitch and demonstrate proof of concepts and prototypes to a judging panel and audience at two, live, in-person Demo Day events. Demo days are opportunities to meet competitors, connectors, power connectors, and other members of the American-Made Network. Demo Days culminate in the announcement of Set! and Go! prize winners.
Anyone can compete
Competitors are entrepreneurial individuals or teams, legally residing or based in the U.S., can compete including members of one or multiple organizations, students, university faculty members, small business owners, researchers, or anyone with the desire and drive to transform ideas into impactful realities.
Ready!, Set!, Go! Guidelines
The Ready!, Set!, and Go! Contests will fast-track efforts to identify, develop, and test disruptive solutions to meet solar industry needs. Each stage will include a contest period when participants will work to rapidly advance their solutions. DOE invites anyone, individually or as a team, to compete to transform a conceptual solution into product reality.
The American-Made Solar Prize is a $3 million prize competition designed to revitalize U.S. solar manufacturing through a series of contests and the development of a diverse and powerful support network that leverages national laboratories, energy incubators, and other resources across the country. The American-Made Solar Prize is directed and administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office. Learn more.
Twelve months. Ten teams. Three contests. Two winners. One shot.
It all comes down to this.
Today, we will find out who is named the Solar Prize Round 2 final winners. Join us at 1 p.m. ET as Assistant Secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Daniel R. Simmons reveals the winners at a live winner announcement.
After a year of competing, two teams of solar innovators will each earn $500,000 in cash prizes and $75,000 in technical support vouchers for their ingenious idea to change the solar industry. This is a monumental event for the Solar Prize and the future of solar energy.
Last week, we shared a series of interview videos with Solar Prize Round 2 finalist teams. During these interviews, teams talk about their background, how their team members first met, the story behind technology, and more.
Teams have submitted their pitch videos, but these interviews provide a different look at the people behind Round 2 and their journey as solar startups. Get to know the Round 2 teams and cheer them on as they compete for $500,000 at Go! Demo Day on Friday, Aug. 28!
The Solar Prize Round 2 finalists are one step closer to competition completion! The 10 competing teams just submitted their last pitch videos showcasing the progress they’ve made since earning their finalist titles in March 2020.
Here’s a recap of the technologies competing for $500,000 as a final winner:
Team Integrated Silicon Systems: This team is developing a low-cost manufacturing method for silicon wafers using a technique that involves melting the silicon, which floats as it solidifies, and slowly pulling a continuous, thin layer of it.
Team Asoleyo: This team is designing front contact patterns on solar cells for visually appealing solar surfaces.
Team Switched Source: This team is developing a device, and software to control it, which will enable higher penetration of solar on distribution feeders without costly infrastructure upgrades.
Team Terra Pave: This team is creating an eco-friendly, cost-effective road coating that controls dust and dirt on high-traffic roads near solar field installations to reduce dirt cover on panels, which lowers energy output.
Team SolPaver: This team is transforming the patio paver into a sunlight-permeable, high-strength, composite concrete and resin paver that produces power and eliminates the need for additional mounting hardware.
Team Vespr Solar: This team is building a solar module attachment system with a spring-based clip that locks to secure the module while providing electrical bonding and wire management capabilities, which simplifies and lowers the cost of installation.
Team Orison: This team is developing an in-home energy storage unit that plugs into a standard wall outlet and can be charged using solar energy.
Team SunFlex Solar: This team is replacing high-cost copper back-sheets used in standard back-contacted silicon cells with lower-cost aluminum.
Team Resilient Power Systems: This team is developing a power router to connect a medium-scale solar plant directly to the medium-voltage grid, eliminating equipment that is typically required and reducing costs.
Team Taka Solar: This team is making an integrated solar panel and mount product for flat commercial rooftops that installs four times faster and weighs half as much as traditional installations.
See the finalist pitch videos and connect with these solar entrepreneurs at the solar networking event, hosted by Nation of Makers, on Thursday, Aug. 27, at 3 p.m. ET. This event is free and open to all solar professionals, investors, and Round 2 fans. Register here.
The American-Made Solar Prize Round 2 finalist teams have been working hard over the past few months preparing to pitch their technology at Go! Demo Day. Since learning of their status as Round 2 finalists in March 2020, these 10 teams have been substantially advancing their solutions from proofs-of-concept to refined prototypes, and finding partners to perform pilot tests of the prototypes.
Go! Demo Day marks the culmination of Round 2, with two final winners being announced on Aug. 28, 2020, in a virtual format. Here’s what Round 2 Go! Demo Day will look like:
Aug. 18: Teams submit a 4-minute video pitch
Aug. 27: Teams participate in a private Q&A session with a panel of expert reviewers
Aug. 27: Teams and solar industry members are invited to a networking event hosted by Nation of Makers
Aug. 28: Two final winners will be announced, each winning $500,000 in cash prizes and $75,000 in technical support.
The Solar Prize administrators and Nation of Makers invite all industry experts, cleantech investors, and anyone interested in solar innovation to join the Solar Prize networking event on Thursday, Aug. 27, at 3 p.m. ET. This event is free and open to anyone who wants to connect with other solar leaders. Register here for the networking event!
Additionally, the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory invite you to attend the live finalist announcement on Friday, Aug. 28, at 1 p.m. ET. Assistant Secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Daniel R. Simmons will announce the final winners in this monumental solar event. Don’t miss this exciting Round 2 finale—RSVP for the winner announcement!
Last week, 20 Round 3 semifinalist teams submitted their Set! Contest pitch videos. Tomorrow, teams are participating in private Q&A sessions with a panel of expert reviewers. Friday, we’ll find out which 10 teams were selected to continue to the Go! Contest as finalists.
Join us Friday, July 10 at 1 p.m. ET to hear Dr. Becca Jones-Albertus, director of the Energy Department’s Solar Energy Technologies Office, announce the finalists. Each of the 10 finalist teams will win $100,000 in cash prizes and $75,000 in support vouchers for their solar technologies.
The announcement will feature speakers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and U.S. Department of Energy, who will be discussing the importance of innovation in the renewable sector. Plus, we’ll be making a surprise announcement you won’t want to miss.
