SOLVE IT seeks to empower communities to solve their energy-related challenges. Competitors will create plans that will ultimately allow them to develop clean energy projects. By supporting communities as they identify and implement innovative solutions in a way that addresses their unique needs and challenges, the SOLVE IT Prize aims to promote the commercialization of promising energy technologies that will lead to an equitable and just energy transition.  Competitors will work collaboratively with stakeholders interested in community-scale (neighborhood-, town-, or city-scale) clean energy planning to engage their communities, build a network of support for clean energy or decarbonization projects, and develop plans for carrying these projects out. DOE aims to enable innovative solutions for local energy-related challenges, promoting wider, more equitable technology uptake. The SOLVE IT Prize offers a total prize pool of up to $5 million in cash prizes. Teams may win up to $730,000 across three phases of the SOLVE IT price.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Technology Transitions (OTT), Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED), and Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) have collaborated to launch the SOLVE IT Prize. The prize is part of the American-Made program and is administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. SOLVE IT is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) through the Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF).

Who is eligible: The competition is open to individuals or entities that work collaboratively with communities to develop and carry out projects that benefit communities and reflect their priorities. Competitors should have knowledge and resources (or access to knowledge and resources) to promote clean energy projects in their communities. Eligible competitors include but are not limited to individuals, private entities (forprofits and nonprofits), consortia, academic institutions, labor unions, nongovernmental organizations,
and nonfederal government entities (such as tribes, states, counties, and municipalities) in the United States.

Areas of interest: includes Building efficiency, Grid modernization, Industrial efficiency and decarbonization, Long-duration energy storage

How to apply: Phase 1: Embark, organizations interested in addressing challenges related to clean energy or decarbonization in their communities will show that they have identified a community and describe challenges facing that community that can be addressed by a technology solution; That they have or can assemble a team with the necessary experience and have a track record of successful community engagement; That they have a clear approach for engaging with this community.

Visit HeroX and follow the instructions for registering and submitting all required materials before the phase deadline. 

April 12, 2024, is the Submission Deadline for Phase 1

Links:

More information, application and timeline: https://www.herox.com/SOLVEIT

Official Rule Document: https://www.herox.com/SOLVEIT/resource/1644