Energy Storage Innovations Prize Round 2

Prize Background

In 2022, DOE opened the first American-Made Energy Storage Innovations Prize (“Round 1”) seeking next-generation energy storage technologies to accelerate grid decarbonization. DOE launched the Round 1 Prize to help illustrate nascent and emerging technologies within the energy storage landscape. Building on the success of the Round 1 prize, the DOE Office of Electricity is launching a second Energy Storage Innovations Prize (“Round 2”) with a focus on less conventional use cases and innovative (less mature) energy storage technology solutions, across all duration scales, to advance the market landscape.

After crowning ten inventive Round 1 winners, DOE is excited to launch Round 2 of the Energy Storage Innovations Prize. This single-phase, $300,000 competition aims to gain insights on innovative, emerging, and next-generation energy storage solutions that address niche markets and inform the DOE’s strategy on transformative storage technologies to accelerate grid modernization for all consumers, while achieving needed reliability, affordability, and energy security.

Up to five Finalists will receive a $10,000 cash prize each and up to five Champions will receive a $50,000 cash prize each for their efforts in the competition. Additionally, winners will have opportunities to engage in other future DOE activities and to feature their innovations on DOE’s websites.

Eligibility

The competition is open to individuals; academia, non-federal government entities, small businesses, start-ups, entrepreneurs, and other inventors who are working on nascent or emerging energy storage innovations that address less conventional use cases, all subject to the full requirements in the Official Rules (coming soon).