The U.S. Department of Energy recently announced the 20 competitors who have been invited to advance to the next phase of the American-Made Solar Prize Round 3, a competition designed to incentivize entrepreneurs to strengthen American leadership in solar innovations and domestic manufacturing.
Each team will receive a $50,000-cash prize and become eligible to compete in the next phase of the competition. Teams were chosen based on the novelty of their ideas and how their solutions address a critical need in the solar industry. The 20 competitors for this round were selected from 120 submissions and represent 11 states. The projects help tackle a variety of new solar-related challenges and applications. Nine teams will advance solar photovoltaic technologies, while 11 will address challenges related to how solar integrates with the grid.
Over the next six months, the teams will fast-track their efforts to identify, develop and test disruptive solutions. The competition will culminate during a national demonstration day at Solar Power International in September 2020, where a panel of judges will select two final winners who will receive a prize of $500,000.
To learn more about the competition and read descriptions of the finalists’ projects, view the original press release from the DOE.