American-Made Challenges
Solar Prize Round 1
The American-Made Solar Prize is a $3 million prize competition designed to energize U.S. solar manufacturing 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.
Round 1 Go! Contest Winners
Congratulations to our two winners from the Go! Contest! These teams will be awarded both cash prizes and program vouchers for use at national laboratories and connector facilities.
| entry title (listed alphabetically) | team location | subject area |
|---|---|---|
| Breakthrough PV cell & module architecture (Solar Inventions) | Atlanta, GA | Cell Concepts |
| Factory Installed Solar for Manufactured Homes (Phase3 Photovoltaics) | Portland, OR | Module and Application Hardware |
Round 1 Set! Contest Finalists
Congratulations to all of the finalists from the Set! Contest! These teams will be awarded both cash prizes and program vouchers for use at national laboratories and connector facilities. Round 1 Finalists and Semifinalists are eligible to compete in the Go! Contest.
| entry title (listed alphabetically) | team location | subject area |
|---|---|---|
| Acoustic Cleaving of Gallium Arsenide for Next Generation PV (Crystal Sonic) | Tempe, AZ | Cell Concepts |
| Factory Installed Solar for Manufactured Homes (Phase3 Photovoltaics) | Portland, OR | Module and Application Hardware |
| First Step Solar (Catalyst) | Dearborn, MI | Module and Application Hardware |
| High-Capacity 250 Kilowatt Silicon Carbide Solar String Inverter (BREK Electronics Corp.) | Boulder, CO | Devices |
| Omnisole (Omnisole) | Worcester, MA | Module and Application Hardware |
| Perovskite + Silicon Tandem Product Prototype (Tandem PV) | Morgan Hill, CA | Cell Concepts |
| Scalable Energy Empowerment Device (Solar SEED) | New York, NY | Devices |
| Solar Guardian PV Connector (Solar Guardian) | Albuquerque, NM | Devices |
| Three-port Silicon Carbide-based High Frequency Power Conversion System (Imagen) | Milwaukee, WI | Devices |
| Ultra-low-cost Gains in PV Module Energy & Safety (Solar Inventions) | Atlanta, GA | Cell Concepts |
Round 1 Ready! Contest Semifinalists
Congratulations to all of the semifinalists from the Ready! Contest! Twenty teams across 15 states have been identified from a pool of 167 submissions as eligible to compete in the next two rounds of the Prize competition. These teams will be awarded a cash prize and are now eligible to advance in the Set! and Go! Contests!
Important Dates for Round 1
- Submission and public voting Opens: June 7, 2018
-
Initial Ideation Submission Period deadline: October 2, 2018 at 11:59 PM ET
Ideation will stay open for new submissions throughout the competition. However, to receive a $1,000 recognition payment, the submission must be entered prior to this date. - Ready! Contest submission deadline: October 5, 2018 11:59 PM ET
- Ready! Contest peer ranking: October 6 - 10, 2018 11:59 AM ET
- Ready! winners announced and Set! and Go! Contests begin: February 2019
- Set! Contest winners announced: June, 7 2019
- Go! Contest winners announced: September 24, 2019
All dates are subject to change including contest openings, deadlines, and announcements.
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Solutions that help shape the future of solar
Are you a thinker, entrepreneur, facility or potential partner? Anyone with an innovative idea can help transform the solar industry through the American-Made Solar Prize.
Follow the Challenge
Are you a thinker, entrepreneur, facility or potential partner? Anyone with an innovative idea can help transform the solar industry through the American-Made Solar Prize.
Follow the Challenge