The American-Made Solar Prize is a $3 million competition designed to revitalize solar manufacturing in the United States. Competitors may be entrepreneurial students, professors, small-business owners, company staffers, researchers at national laboratories, or anyone else based in the United States with a potentially marketable solar technology solution. This challenge requires competitors to make progress on a condensed timeline, form private-sector partnerships, and secure investments to make their ideas a reality.
On July 9, 2020, DOE launched Round 4 of the American-Made Solar Prize. In the first phase of the competition, entrepreneurial individuals and teams pitched an innovative idea that addresses a critical need in the solar industry and identify market demand for it. Those selected to advance to the second phase designed a proof of concept. In the third and final phase, selected individuals and teams will develop early-stage prototypes for industry testing.
On December 4, 2020, 20 teams representing 12 states were selected to receive $50,000 and advance to the next phase of the competition. Their concepts are grouped into three categories: concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP), photovoltaics (PV), and systems integration.
On April 9, 2021, 10 finalists representing 8 states were announced at a live virtual event. Each team received $100,000 in cash plus $75,000 in vouchers redeemable at the National Laboratories and other partner fabrication facilities.
On September 16, 2021, two winning teams were announced at a live virtual event. Each team received $500,000 in cash and $75,000 in vouchers to use at the National Laboratories and other qualified fabrication facilities. The winners are:
Read the full article and find out who the winners are here.
