Solar Prize Results
Round 7 | Round 6 | Round 5: Hardware | Round 5: Software | Round 4 | Round 3 | Round 2 | Round 1
Results that Speak Volumes
The American-Made Solar Prize is a multimillion-dollar prize competition designed to energize U.S. solar innovation 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.
As the flagstone prize in the American-Made program, the Solar Prize has awarded over $15 million in prizes to entrepreneurs across the country since its inception in 2018.
Round 7
The Solar Prize Round 7 launched in June 2023 and concluded on Sept. 10, 2024. Round 7 also offered participants the option to compete in a Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Contest, which offered additional cash prizes for technologies that consider and incorporate environmental justice principles. A total of $3.1 million in cash prizes, $900,000 in support vouchers, and $200,000 in optional JEDI Contest prizes was awarded throughout the competition.
New to Round 7 was the Power Up Contest, designed to support and advance new and diverse teams that had compelling applications but weren't selected to advance to the Set! Contest. Ten teams each received a $10,000 cash prize and tailored business support.
- The Ready! Contest opened on June 12, 2023. Semifinalists were announced Jan. 11, 2024.
- The Set! Contest opened Jan. 11, 2024. Finalists were announced May 1, 2024.
- The Go! Contest opened May 1, 2024. The winners were determined at Go! Demo Day on Sept. 10, 2024.
The two winning teams each took home a total of $650,000 in cash prizes and $150,000 in support vouchers in the Ready!, Set!, and Go! Contests:
Fram Energy (Newburgh, NY)
This team is developing a platform to incentivize landlords to install solar by enabling both the renter and landlord to capture savings from a solar installation.
Gritt Robotics (Belmont, CA)
This team is developing a solution combining robotics and artificial intelligence for automated construction of utility-scale solar.
The following finalist teams were awarded $50,000 each as the winners of the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Contest for their solutions that enable underserved communities to overcome systemic barriers to solar deployment:
EmpowerSun Solutions (Aurora, CO)
This team is developing a platform for underserved communities that provides customized solar planning resources and connects landowners with pre-certified project partners.
Illumination Solar Training (Jefferson, WI)
This team is producing portable, interactive solar training carts that provide affordable, hands-on solar training for communities and colleges.
The 20 semifinalist teams each took home a $50,000 cash prize in the Ready! Contest. Four teams were also awarded $25,000 for their winning Ready! JEDI Contest submissions. The 10 finalist teams each took home a total of $150,000 in cash prizes and $75,000 in support vouchers in the Ready! and Set! Contests. Three teams were also awarded $16,666 for their winning Set! JEDI Contest submissions.
Team (sorted alphabetically) | Location | Submission Title | Status |
---|---|---|---|
1Climate | New York City, NY | 1Climate: Bringing AI to solar development | Finalist |
Addicted 2 Impact | Ladera Ranch, CA | DIY Nanogrid | Semifinalist |
Buck Boost | Apex, NC | Nanoconverter Architectures for 50-Year PV Systems | Semifinalist |
Couillard Solar Foundation Team | Deerfield, WI | CSF Solar Canopy | Semifinalist |
Electra | Bellingham, WA | Electra - National PV Reuse & Recycling Network | Finalist |
EmpowerSun Solutions | Denver, CO | Bridging the solar gap for underserved communities | Finalist Go! JEDI Contest Winner |
Fram Energy | San Francisco, CA | Bringing the Energy Transition to Rental Homes | Winner |
Gritt Robotics | Belmont, CA | Automated construction of large solar farms | Winner |
ICoN Energy | Ithaca, NY | Harnessing Solar Power to Reduce Truck Emissions | Semifinalist |
Keeping Solar Power Plants Green | Xenia, OH | Autonomous, chemical-free vegetation management | Semifinalist |
Illumination Solar Training | Jefferson, WI | Solar Training Lab Cart - Closing Solar Skill Gaps | Finalist Go! JEDI Contest Winner |
NC Solar Inverters | Cary, NC | Silicon Carbide Solar Inverters made in the US | Finalist |
Pavilion Solar | Miami, FL | EnPods, The Superior Alternative to Rooftop Solar | Finalist |
Gridwave (formerly PowerMe) | Austin, TX | 3D Printed Solar Carports | Finalist |
Reliable Autonomy | Basking Ridge, NJ | SolarSavvy: Predictive Solar Intelligence | Semifinalist |
Solar Unsoiled | Durham, NC | Optimized cleaning schedules for utility-scale PV | Finalist |
Vatio | Palo Alto, CA | Democratize access to solar with Vatio plug-in kit | Semifinalist |
VL Offshore | Houston, TX | Rapidly Deployable Floating Solar System | Semifinalist |
Voltic Shipping | Whitney, TX | Voltic - Solar Powered Cargo Shipping | Semifinalist |
Wildgrid, Inc. | New York City, NY | The "Nerdwallet" of Home Electrification | Semifinalist |
Round 7 Power Up Prize Winners The 10 Power Up Prize winning teams each took home a $10,000 cash prize in the Ready! Contest. They will be going through a curriculum of support provided by the Power Connectors in the American-Made Network. The teams will have access to collaborative sessions led by subject matter experts in the solar Industry and will also receive one-on-one mentorship throughout the duration of the support.
Team (sorted alphabetically) | Location | Submission Title | Status |
---|---|---|---|
Amaterra Tech | Austin, TX | Amaterra Tech | Power Up Prize Winner |
Ark | Lake Linden, MI | Silo: A Scalable, Low-Cost Nanogrid, For All | Power Up Prize Winner |
Exergi | Buffalo, NY | Exergi- the future of clean sustainable energy | Power Up Prize Winner |
First Principle Energy | Sunnyvale, CA | Wire Rope Mounted PV Structure | Power Up Prize Winner |
Full Charge Solar | Mesquite, TX | Industrial Solar Generator | Power Up Prize Winner |
Fundusol | Stanford, CA | Agrivoltaics: Data-Driven and Sun-Powered Farms | Power Up Prize Winner |
Modular Microgrids | Mount Joy, PA | Modular Microgrids | Power Up Prize Winner |
NAS-LIION LLC | South Orange, NJ | Second Life Lithium Ion Battery Leak Detection | Power Up Prize Winner |
Recode Energy | Denver, CO | Transform your buildings with climate policy | Power Up Prize Winner |
Soltheos | Denver, CO | Cost effective Energy Storage for All | Power Up Prize Winner |
Round 6
The Solar Prize Round 6 launched in June 2022 and concluded in September 2023. Round 6 also offered participants the option to compete in a Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Contest, which offered additional cash prizes for technologies that consider and incorporate environmental justice principles. A total of $3 million in cash prizes, $900,000 in support vouchers, and $200,000 in optional JEDI Contest prizes were awarded throughout the competition.
- The Ready! Contest opened on Oct. 11, 2022. Semifinalists were announced Dec. 8, 2022.
- The Set! Contest opened Dec. 8, 2022. Finalists were announced April 5, 2023.
- The Go! Contest opened April 5, 2023. The winners were determined at the final demo day on September 12, 2023.
The two winning teams each took home a total of $650,000 in cash prizes and $150,000 in support vouchers in the Ready!, Set!, and Go! Contests.
Latimer Controls (Boulder, CO) — Latimer Controls Enables Intelligent Solar Power
This team is developing an intelligent control software that enables utility-scale photovoltaic to provide power reliably and on demand.
ReJoule (Signal Hill, CA) - Second Life Solar
This team is developing a fast, new method for testing the health of decommissioned electric vehicle batteries and using these batteries to develop an integrated solution for storing solar power and dispatching it at peak hours. The team was awarded an additional $50,000 in the JEDI Contest.
The 20 semifinalist teams each took home a $50,000 cash prize in the Ready! Contest. Two teams were also awarded $25,000 for their winning Ready! JEDI Contest submissions. The 10 finalist teams each took home a total of $150,000 in cash prizes and $75,000 in support vouchers in the Ready! and Set! Contests. Three teams were also awarded $16,667 for their winning Set! JEDI Contest submissions.
Team (sorted alphabetically) | Location | Submission Title | Status |
---|---|---|---|
Beam Solar | San Francisco, CA | The Beam Module: PreFab Solar for Commercial Roofs | Semifinalist |
Crack Catcher AI | Klamath Falls, OR | Crack Cather AI | Semifinalist |
Fliteworks (formerly SatAlpha) | New York City, NY | Autonomous Solar Panel Inspections | Finalist |
NC Solar Inverters (formerly Grid Edge Management Corporation) | Cary, NC | World's Most Reliable Inverter | Finalist |
Hail Cat | San Jose, CA | Hail Cat – Identify, Quantify & Mitigate Hail Risk | Semifinalist |
Hawai'i Innovation | Honolulu, HI | Deployable Off-grid CSP Desalination with MEDAD | Semifinalist; Ready! JEDI Contest winner |
Latimer Controls, Inc. | Boulder, CO | Latimer Controls Enables Intelligent Solar Power | Winner |
LEAF | Akron, OH | LEAF Solar Design Assistant | Finalist |
Mirai Solar | Mountain View, CA | Retractable Solar Modules for Buildings and Beyond | Semifinalist |
Noria Energy | Sausalito, CA | Autonomous Cable-Free Anchoring for Floating Solar | Finalist |
PI Energy | San Diego, CA | Ultra-Thin Flexible Solar PV For More Surfaces | Semifinalist |
Portable Energy | Miami, FL | Ground-Based Mounting System for Rural Solar | Semifinalist; Ready! JEDI Contest winner |
ReJoule's Second-Life Solar Team | Signal Hill, CA | Second Life Solar | Winner Go! JEDI Contest winner |
RUTE Foundation Systems | Portland, OR | Clearing the Hurdle of High-Cost Agrivoltaics | Finalist Set! JEDI Contest winner |
Sandbox Solar | Fort Collins, CO | SolarBound Build Confidence Build Trust Build Solar | Semifinalist |
Snow-Free Solar | Toledo, OH | Facilitating Snow Removal From Solar Panels | Finalist Set! JEDI Contest winner |
Solesca | Chicago, IL | Advancing Agrivoltaics | Finalist |
SolTek Nano Team | Las Vegas, NV | Maximize Efficiency | Semifinalist |
Edgeli | Portland, ME | Shared Data, Smaller Queues, More Interconnections | Finalist |
Vellex Computing | Sunnyvale, CA | Grid-on-a-Chip: Accelerating Solar Interconnection | Semifinalist |
Round 5: Hardware Track
The Solar Prize Round 5 launched in June 2021 and will conclude in September 2022. The fifth round of the Solar Prize is designed to spur more solar innovation than ever before by splitting participants into two separate technology-focused tracks: the Hardware Track and Software Track. A total of $3 million in cash prizes and $900,000 in support vouchers are being awarded throughout the competition.
- The Ready! Contest opened on June 15, 2021. Semifinalists were announced Dec. 7, 2021.
- The Set! Contest opened Dec. 7, 2021. Finalists were announced April 22, 2022.
- The Go! Contest opened April 22, 2022. The winners will be determined at the final demo day in September 2022.
The two winning teams each took home a total of $650,000 in cash prizes and $150,000 in support vouchers in the Ready!, Set!, and Go! Contests.
Origami (Bend, OR) – Roll-Formed Steel Frames for PV Modules
This team developed roll-formed recycled steel frames that replace higher cost and carbon intensive aluminum frames for PV installation.
TECSI Solar (El Sobrante, CA) – Solvari SR, Simplifying Residential Solar to 1 SKU
This team developed an all-in-one PV panel that reduces the number of individual parts needed to install PV on a residential rooftop, which may lead to faster and easier install times and reduced costs.
The 20 semifinalist teams each took home a $50,000 cash prize in the Ready! Contest. The 10 finalist teams each took home a total of $150,000 in cash prizes and $75,000 in support vouchers in the Ready! and Set! Contests.
Team | Location | Submission Title | Status |
---|---|---|---|
CFV Labs | Albuquerque, NM | Power Electronics for the Next Generation of PV | Semifinalist |
Enersion Inc. | San Diego, CA | Solar Powered Cooling, Heating and Electricity | Semifinalist |
Giant Leap Technologies | Orinda, CA | Ten Thousand Splendid Suns | Semifinalist |
Gismo Power Team | Sarasota, FL | Portable Solar Carport with Integrated EV-Charger! | Finalist |
Leap Photovoltaics | San Francisco, CA | Wafer-Free Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells | Finalist |
Mana Monitoring MeDER | Lahaina, HA | Integrating on-site Solar with EV Charging | Finalist |
MSU Water and Energy Team | East Lansing, MI | Integrated Greenhouse for Food and Clean Water | Semifinalist |
NanoSolarBoost | Hayward, CA | Spectrum Shifting Nanocoating | Semifinalist |
Optivolt Labs | San Mateo, CA | Patina™: Solar that Works in the Shade | Semifinalist |
Origami Solar | Bend, OR | Roll-Formed Steel Frames for PV Modules | Finalist |
Portable Solar | Miami, FL | Novel PV Awning for Factory-Built Homes | Finalist |
RCAM Technologies | Los Angeles, CA | 3D Concrete Printed Anchors for Floating PV | Finalist |
Resilient Energy & Infrastructure - RDHM | Nashville, TN | Rapid Deployment Hybrid MicroGrid “RDHM“ | Semifinalist |
Smartville | Carlsbad, CA | Riding the Solar Curve | Finalist |
Solactivator | Fremont, CA | Solactivator: Economical Backup Power for Blackout | Semifinalist |
SolarSCADA | Denver, CO | SolarSCADA: Modular SCADA specific to Solar | Finalist |
Soliculture Hoop House | Scotts Valley, CA | Saving Water with Combined Solar and Agriculture | Semifinalist |
Sun Deck Solar | Roswell, GA | Sun Deck Solar EV Charging Station | Finalist |
Team Anar | Derry, NH | Optimizing Landfill Solar Power Production and Return on Investment | Semifinalist |
TECSI Solar Inc. | El Sobrante, CA | Solvari SR, Simplifying Residential Solar to 1 SKU | Finalist |
Round 5: Software Track
The Solar Prize Round 5 launched in June 2021 and will conclude in September 2022. The fifth round of the Solar Prize is designed to spur more solar innovation than ever before by splitting participants into two separate technology-focused tracks: the Hardware Track and Software Track. The Software Track also offers participants the option to compete in a JEDI Contest, which offers additional cash prizes for technologies that consider and incorporate environmental justice principles. A total of $1.6 million in cash prizes, $100,000 in support vouchers, and $300,000 in JEDI Contest prizes are being awarded throughout the competition.
- The Ready! Contest opened on June 15, 2021. Semifinalists were announced Dec. 7, 2021.
- The Set! Contest opened Dec. 7, 2021. Finalists were announced April 22, 2022.
- The Go! Contest opened April 22, 2022. The winners will be determined at the final demo day in September 2022.
The two winning teams each took home a total of $290,000 in cash prizes and $50,000 in support vouchers in the Ready!, Set!, and Go! Contests.
illu (Sunnyvale, CA) – Illuminate Field Work for Distributed Solar
This team developed software that enables field teams to confidently install, operate, maintain, and fix distributed solar systems.
SolarGrade (Carlsbad, CA) – Elevated Asset Care
This team developed a cloud-based field work asset management system to help improve system performance and intelligently collect data analytics.
And,one team won the Justice, Equity, Diversion, and Inclusion (JEDI) prize and took home a $100,000 cash prize in the Go! Contest.
Midday Tech (San Francisco, CA) – Voluntary Carbon Reduction through Rooftop Solar
This team developed a software solution that allows users to voluntarily contribute funds through subscriptions which then become direct discounts for rooftop solar in underserved communities.
The 20 semifinalist teams each took home a $30,000 cash prize and eight teams won an additional $12,500 in the Ready! Contest. The 10 finalist teams each took home $60,000 in cash prizes and $33,333 in support vouchers in the Set! Contest.
Team | Location | Submission Title | Status |
---|---|---|---|
Better Solar | Orlando, FL | Automated Diagnostics of PV Module Health | Finalist |
CircuSolar | Sheridan, WY | Facilitating Donations of Second-Life Solar Panels | Semifinalist; Ready! JEDI Contest winner |
CleanFi | Los Angeles, CA | Accelerating Commercial Solar Growth for All | Finalist; Ready! JEDI Contest winner |
Climformatics | Fremont, CA | Building Climate Sustainable Solar Energy Future | Semifinalist |
Ecademy | Baltimore, MD | ECademy - online school to train solar installers | Semifinalist; Ready! JEDI Contest winner |
illu | Sunnyvale, CA | illu: Illuminate Field Work for Distributed Solar | Finalist |
KiloNewton | Albuquerque, NM | SolarSpace™ Toolbox: Optimize Site & Construction | Finalist |
Leaptran | San Antonio, TX | Solarcast and Solarcheck (SC2) | Semifinalist |
Midday Tech | San Francisco, CA | Voluntary Carbon Reduction through Rooftop Solar | Finalist; Ready! & Set! JEDI Contest winner |
Nimbus AI | Honolulu, HI | Solar Forecasting with Machine Learning | Finalist |
OptimoEnergy | Los Angeles, CA | AI Power Management and Sizing Software Packages | Semifinalist |
People Power Solar Cooperative | Oakland, CA | Solar as a Tool for Building Community Wealth | Semifinalist; Ready! JEDI Contest winner |
Sandbox Solar | Fort Collins, CO | Sandbox Agrivoltaics: Design & A.I for AgPV Design | Finalist |
Solar Stewards Marketplace | Atlanta, GA | Solar Stewards Marketplace | Finalist; Ready! & Set! JEDI Contest winner |
SolarGrade | Carlsbad, CA | SolarGrade: Elevated Asset Care | Finalist |
SolarSpace | Tucson, AZ | SolarSpace E-Management Platform | Semifinalist |
Tectonicus Constructs | Bisbee, AZ | Solar River- Covering & Powering Canals with Solar | Semifinalist |
The CyberBorgs | Buffalo, NY | Merging the Real and Digital Worlds through a Cyber-Physical-Social Platform for Microgrids | Semifinalist; Ready! JEDI Contest winner |
The Solar Equity Team | Boston, MA | The Solar Equity Platform | Finalist; Ready! & Set! JEDI Contest winner |
Turbine Logic | Atlanta, GA | Democratizing PV Monitoring at Community Scale | Semifinalist |
Round 4
The Solar Prize Round 4 launched in July 2020 and concluded in September 2021. A total of $3 million in cash prizes and $900,000 in support vouchers was awarded throughout the competition.
- The Ready! Contest opened on July 9, 2020. Semifinalists were announced Dec. 4, 2020.
- The Set! Contest opened Dec. 4, 2020. Finalists were announced April 9, 2021.
- The winners were determined at a virtual demo day on Sept. 15, 2021, and announced at a live virtual event on Sept. 16, 2021.
The two winning teams each took home a total of $650,000 in cash prizes and $150,000 in support vouchers in the Ready!, Set!, and Go! Contests.
AeroShield Materials (Boston, MA) – Aerogel Insulated Solar Collector for Process Heat
This team developed a flat-plate solar-thermal energy collector system that operates at more than 120 degrees Celsius with efficiencies greater than 45%. Transparent aerogel insulation enables this performance, minimizes heat loss, allows for simpler receiver design, and reduces cost. Aerogel lets light pass through but doesn’t let heat escape.
the r&d lab (Petaluma, CA) – Roofing for the Sol
This team designed a metal residential roofing product to make solar roofs more aesthetically pleasing. It will match the color of the roof to the solar panels, increase the speed of installation, and match the lifespans of the solar and roof components. This innovation has the potential to increase solar adoption among consumers.
The 20 semifinalist teams each took home a $50,000 cash prize in the Ready! Contest. The 10 finalist teams each took home a total of $150,000 in cash prizes and $75,000 in support vouchers in the Ready! and Set! Contests.
Team | Location | Submission Title | Status |
---|---|---|---|
AeroShield Materials | Hyde Park, MA | Aerogel Insulated Solar Collector for Process Heat | Winner |
Cool Tech Solar | North Oaks, MN | Solar Panel with Heatsink | Finalist |
D&D Manufacturing LLC | Merritt Island, FL | Solar AirWall | Semifinalist |
Energy for All | Elkridge, MD | Saving Solar Power | Finalist |
Hawai’i Innovation Laboratory | Honolulu, HI | Room Temperature Metal Coating for CSP Mirror | Finalist |
Lightfoot | San Francisco, CA | Lightfoot – Solar-Powered Vehicles | Semifinalist |
NanoSpray | Brooklyn, NY | NanoSpray: Low Cost Solutions for Back Contacts | Finalist |
NoMIS Power Group | Newtonville, NY | Harnessing the Sun Using Medium Voltage Silicon Carbide (SiC) Power Devices | Semifinalist |
New Age Solar® | Monmouth County, NJ | The Mighty Power System | Semifinalist |
Pellucere Technologies | Houston, TX | MORE POWER LESS DIRT | Finalist |
Purdue Perovskite Solar Team | West Lafayette, IN | Stable and Scalable Perovskite Solar Cells | Semifinalist |
the r&d lab | Petaluma, CA | Roofing for the Sol | Winner |
Rocking Solar | Monroe, OH | Rocking Solar Tracker | Finalist |
Sol Clarity | Boston, MA | Self-Cleaning Solar Power | Semifinalist |
SolaBlock | Easthampton, MA | Integrated Solar Power and Insulated Wall System | Semifinalist |
The Solar Panel Waste Recycling (SPWR) | Austin, TX | Cost-Effective Eco-Friendly PV Recycling | Semifinalist |
SunTegra and CertainTeed | Highland, NY | Next-Gen Solar Roofing Product Collaboration | Semifinalist |
Superclean Glass | Stony Brook, NY | Boosting energy yield from dusty solar panel | Finalist |
Team NAVIA | San Jose, CA | Artificial Intelligence Enabled Battery-Less Solar Hybrid Inverter | Semifinalist |
Urban Energy | Brooklyn, NY | Urban Energy Solar Canopy | Finalist |
Round 3
The Solar Prize Round 3 launched in September 2019 and concluded in December 2020. A total of $3 million in cash prizes and $900,000 in support vouchers was awarded throughout the competition.
- The Ready! Contest opened on Sept. 24, 2019and closed on Dec. 10, 2019. Semifinalists were announced on Feb. 11, 2020.
- The Set! Contest opened in February 2020. Finalists were determined at a virtual demonstration day on July 9, 2020. This marked the beginning of the Go! Contest
- The winners were determined at a virtual demo day on Dec. 3, 2020, and announced at a live virtual event on Dec. 4, 2020.
The two winning teams each took home a total of $650,000 in cash prizes and $150,000 in support vouchers in the Ready!, Set!, and Go! Contests.
Maxout Renewables (Livermore, CA) — Evergrid: Keep Solar Flowing When the Grid is Down
This team developed the Evergrid, an appliance powered by a fly-wheel that can turn a residential solar installation into a microgrid that keeps delivering power during a grid outage while the sun is shining. The Evergrid also stabilizes the home microgrid by providing power balancing capacity when appliances like refrigerators cycle on and off.
Wattch Inc. (Atlanta, GA) — The OS for Modern Energy Companies
This team developed cost-effective hardware and combined it with secure, scalable software to make a solar monitoring platform to help commercial and industrial PV plants increase operational efficiency. The platform can provide predictive maintenance schedules to decrease downtime, has a universal dashboard that lets PV fleet owners and operators observe the performance of all their systems, improve remote and automated diagnostics, and better model a plant’s lifetime energy yield.
The 20 semifinalist teams each took home a $50,000 cash prize in the Ready! Contest. The 10 finalist teams each took home a total of $150,000 in cash prizes and $75,000 in support vouchers in the Ready! and Set! Contests.
Team | Location | Submission Title | Status |
---|---|---|---|
CraftStrom Team | Houston, TX | Democratizing Solar with Artificial Intelligence (AI) Energy Management | Semifinalist |
Dunmore - Flexible PV Substrates | Bristol, PA | Transparent Polymer Barrier Films for PV | Semifinalist |
Enertronics, Inc. | Blacksburg, VA | Low-Cost Parallel-Type DC Power Optimizer | Finalist |
Guillaume von Gastrow’s Team | San Diego, CA | PV WaRD | Semifinalist |
infiniRel | Santa Cruz, CA | PowerBrain - infiniRel’s Inverter Health Analyzer | Finalist |
Jennie Yoshimoto’s Team | San Antonio, TX | Simple-Assembly Solar Kit | Semifinalist |
John Hollick’s Team | Buffalo, NY | SolarWall Power Tower | Semifinalist |
Lawrence Kearns | Chicago, IL | TrackerSled, Solar-assisted Drawdown | Finalist |
Maxout Renewables | Livermore, CA | Evergrid: Keep solar flowing when the grid is down | Winner |
Paul Leu’s Team | Pittsburgh, PA | Durable Antireflective and Self-Cleaning Glass | Semifinalist |
Paul Pursifull’s Team | Detroit, MI | Allbrand Solar Monitor | Semifinalist |
Pursuit Solar | Denver, NC | Pursuit Solar - More Power. Less Hassle. | Finalist |
Renu Robotics | San Antonio, TX | Robotics Changing the Landscape for Solar Farms | Finalist |
Rise Energy Systems | Charlottesville, VA | Remotely Deployed Solar Arrays | Semifinalist |
Shine: Humanitarian Solar | Portland, OR | JuiceBox: Integrated Portable Solar Microgrid | Finalist |
Simple Install Sol-Ark VPP Solar Storage | Parker, TX | Affordable Local Solar Storage via Utility Virtual Power Plants | Semifinalist |
Uplift Solar -- Innovative Power Electronics | Las Vegas, NV | Uplift: Embedded Multifunction Power Electronics | Finalist |
Vagner | Duluth, MN | Solar for Snow | Semifinalist |
Verify Energy Inc. | Berkeley, CA | Plug-and-play universal solar monitoring | Finalist |
Wattch Inc. | Atlanta, GA | Wattch - The OS for Modern Energy Companies | Winner |
Round 2
The Solar Prize Round 2 launched in March 2019 and concluded in August 2019. A total of $3 million in cash prizes and $900,000 in support vouchers was awarded throughout the competition.
- The Ready! Contest opened on March 22, 2019, and closed on July 16, 2019. Semifinalists were announced on Sept. 24, 2019.
- The Set! Contest closed on March 4, 2020. The finalists were determined at a virtual demo day on March 27 and announced on March 30, 2020, marking the beginning of the Go! Contest.
- The winners were determined at a virtual demo day on Aug. 27, 2020 and announced in a live virtual event on Aug. 28, 2020.
The two winning teams each took home a total of $650,000 in cash prizes and $150,000 in support vouchers in the Ready!, Set!, and Go! Contests.
Resilient Power Systems (Georgetown, TX) — >15kV Power Router DC Coupled Solar + Storage
This team developed a hybrid inverter that enables interconnection between solar, storage, and other energy resources using a novel wide-bandgap technology platform. Their power router enables direct connection of these resources to the medium-voltage distribution grid, integrating transformers and inverters into a single unit. The integrated design provides a clear pathway for domestic manufacturing.
SunFlex Solar (Tempe, AZ) — Back-Contacted Silicon Modules at the Cost of Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact
This team is replacing the high-cost copper backsheets on standard back-contacted silicon solar cells with aluminum, which costs less. They will use a high-speed laser to weld the aluminum backsheet to the silicon wafer. The team has secured a path to manufacture this technology domestically to produce high-efficiency, cost-competitive solar modules.
The 20 semifinalist teams each took home a $50,000 cash prize in the Ready! Contest. The 10 finalist teams each took home a total of $150,000 in cash prizes and $75,000 in support vouchers in the Ready! and Set! Contests.
Team | Location | Submission Title | Status |
---|---|---|---|
Asoleyo Architectural Solar | Herndon, VA | Decorative Solar Tiles | Finalist |
BlueDot Photonics | Seattle, WA | Sunlight-Shaping Solar Panels | Semifinalist |
Epiphany | Pittsburgh, PA | CSP Trans-Critical Water Desalination | Semifinalist |
Erik Ydstie’s Team | Pittsburgh, PA | Continuous Silicon Wafer Production | Finalist |
Gizmatic | Oxon Hill, MD | Reliable, Low-Cost Passive Solar Tracker | Semifinalist |
Locally Grown Power | Claremont, CA | Locally Grown Power | Semifinalist |
Moon Shine | Winston-Salem, NC | Optimized Solar Storage Solution | Semifinalist |
Orison | Cody, WY | A Self-Installable Energy Storage System | Finalist |
Resilient Power Systems | Georgetown, TX | >15kV Power Router DC Coupled Solar + Storage | Winner |
SIGUE | Hudson, OH | Smart Off-Grid PV Energy Management | Semifinalist |
Solar-20 | Ann Arbor, MI | Solar-20 | Semifinalist |
SolPavers | New Braunfels, TX | Invisible, Low-Cost Solar | Finalist |
Sundial Energy | Tucson, AZ | Critical Network Infrastructure Support | Semifinalist |
SunFlex Solar | Tempe, AZ | Back-Contacted Silicon Modules at the Cost of Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact | Winner |
Switched Source | Vestal, NY | Power Router for Distributing Solar in Communities | Finalist |
Taka Solar | Mountain View, CA | Advanced Bifacial Panel | Finalist |
Teq Strategy | Ashburn, VA | Micro-Solar Manufacturing | Semifinalist |
Terra Pave | Austin, TX | Dirt Control, Bifacial Reflect, Roads Replacement | Finalist |
Vespr Solar | Norman, OK | V-Clip: Module Attachment System | Finalist |
Zitara Technologies | Oakland, CA | Zitara Battery Analytics | Semifinalist |
Round 1
The Solar Prize Round 1 launched in February 2018 and concluded in September 2019. A total of $3 million in cash prizes and $900,000 in support vouchers was awarded throughout the competition.
- The Ready! Contest opened on June 7, 2018, and closed on Oct. 5, 2018. Semifinalists were announced on Feb. 27, 2019.
- The Set! Contest closed on May 6, 2019, and finalists were determined at a demo day on June 6, 2019, marking the beginning of the Go! Contest
- The final winners were selected at a demo-day event at Solar Power International on Sept. 24, 2019.
The two winning teams each took home a total of $650,000 in cash prizes and $150,000 in support vouchers in the Ready!, Set!, and Go! Contests.
Phase3 Photovoltaics (Portland, OR) – Prefabricated Solar Systems
This team developed a solution that integrates solar into factory-built homes. By incorporating solar cells in the manufacturing process, they are able to provide their solar home solution at a substantially lower cost per watt as compared to traditional installation.
Solar Inventions (Atlanta, GA) – Configurable Current Cell: C3
This team created a new photovoltaic cell design that can help produce a more stable and reliable solar module. This team has effectively divided the cell into multiple sections without physically breaking it. This prevents hot spots and improves efficiency and safety.
The 20 semifinalist teams each took home a $50,000 cash prize in the Ready! Contest. The 10 finalist teams each took home a total of $150,000 in cash prizes and $75,000 in support vouchers in the Ready! and Set! Contests.
Team | Location | Submission Title | Status |
---|---|---|---|
ARAYSTAYS | Annapolis, MD | Nothing Clips Like Python Grips! | Semifinalist |
BREK Electronics | Boulder, CO | High-Capacity 250 Kilowatt Silicon Carbide Solar String Inverter | Finalist |
Catalyst | Dearborn, MI | First Step Solar | Finalist |
Crystal Sonic | Tempe, AZ | Acoustic Cleaving of Gallium Arsenide for Next Generation PV | Finalist |
ETC Solar | Los Angeles, CA | Invisible Metal Contacts for Solar Cells | Semifinalist |
Game Changer | Charlotte, NC | 1500 Volt Solar Power Converter | Semifinalist |
Imagen | Milwaukee, WI | Three-port Silicon Carbide–based High Frequency Power Conversion System | Finalist |
Impower Energy Corp. (IEC) | Lowell, MA | Quick Lift PV System | Semifinalist |
James White’s Team | Wenatchee, WA | Utility-Owned Battery and Inverter | Semifinalist |
Omnisole | Worcester, MA | Omnisole | Finalist |
Phase3 Photovoltaics | Portland, OR | Prefabricated Solar Systems | Winner |
Progressive Power Products | Austin, TX | Solid-State Protective Relay & Monitoring System | Semifinalist |
Solar Guardian | Albuquerque, NM | PV Connector | Finalist |
Solar Inventions | Atlanta, GA | Configurable Current Cell: C3 | Winner |
Solar SEED | New York, NY | Scalable Energy Empowerment Device | Finalist |
Solar Waves | Pleasant Hill, CA | Conserving Water and Solar Energy | Semifinalist |
SolarVITA | Sioux Falls, SD | LEGOs of Solar for Portable, Plug & Play Power | Semifinalist |
SUNSPOT | Germantown, MD | Solar Electric Cooking System | Semifinalist |
Tandem PV | Morgan Hill, CA | Perovskite + Silicon Tandem Product Prototype | Finalist |
Wei Pan’s Team | Vancouver, WA | Translucent Solar Panel for Greenhouse Farming | Semifinalist |