Now in its sixth round, the American-Made Solar Prize just announced the 20 teams chosen to move on as semifinalists in this year’s competition. The teams were chosen for their game-changing solar energy ideas, including concepts to energize solar manufacturing, address obstacles that get in the way of wider solar adoption, or make installation and maintenance more efficient and cost-effective.
The U.S. Department of Energy announced the Solar Prize Ready! Contest semifinalists on Thursday, Dec. 8. The teams were awarded $50,000 and will now advance to the Set! Contest of the competition, where they will substantially advance their technology solutions toward viable and promising proofs of concept.
In addition, two teams were awarded a $25,000 bonus cash prize for their participation in the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Contest, which encourages solutions that enable underserved communities to overcome systemic barriers to solar deployment. Teams can participate in the contest for additional cash prizes at every stage of the competition.
The Solar Prize was designed to accelerate innovation in the solar industry through three consecutive contests: Ready!, Set!, and Go!. As competitors successfully move through the contests, they receive increasing financial support and resources, accelerating the entrepreneurial timeline from years to months and reducing the overall time it takes to transform concepts into early-stage prototypes ready for industry testing. Throughout the contests, participants can access impactful support through the American-Made Network, which is composed of national laboratories, energy incubators, and other resources across the country.
“Each round of the Solar Prize brings forward thoughtful innovations and ideas with the potential to change the way we approach solar energy production and deployment,” said Garrett Nilsen, deputy director of the Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office. “We’ve already seen winners of previous rounds successfully bring their concepts to market, meeting needs and clearing hurdles in the pursuit of more widespread solar adoption. Every year we look forward to seeing the fresh ideas this unique competition generates.”
The semifinalist teams moving on to the second contest in Solar Prize Round 6 are as follows:
The teams will continue refining their concepts, then pitch and demonstrate their proofs of concept and prototypes to a panel of industry experts at the Set! Demo Day event in spring 2023. At the conclusion of Set! Demo Day, 10 finalists will be awarded $100,000, plus $75,000 in support vouchers. Select teams will also be awarded additional funds through their successful participation in the JEDI contest.
Learn more about the Solar Prize Round 6, and subscribe to the American-Made Newsletter for updates on Round 6 and future opportunities to get involved.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy LLC.
