Project Name: Inclusive Energy Innovation Prize 

Project Team: ​​​​National Renewable Energy Laboratory (lead) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and Office of Economic Impact and Diversity with additional support from the Office of Technology Transitions 

Prize Recipient Locations: Anchorage, Alaska; Atlanta, Georgia; Bethesda, Maryland; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; Edinburg, Texas; Fresno, California; Knoxville, Tennessee; Minneapolis, Minnesota; New Haven, Connecticut; New Orleans, Louisiana; New York, New York; Pine Ridge, South Dakota; Portland, Oregon; Richland, Washington; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Utuado, Puerto Rico; Washington, D.C.

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In May 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded $3.6 million to 18 organizations in Phase One of the Inclusive Energy Innovation Prize. These organizations are working to enhance entrepreneurship and innovation in climate and clean energy technologies through programs for business and technology incubation and acceleration, workforce development, and community- and university-based leadership development activities. 

The winning teams from Phase One, now in Phase Two, are from a wide range of geographic regions spanning from Puerto Rico to Alaska, and embedded in rural, urban, and indigenous communities. The teams’ activities range from workforce and leadership training in the clean energy economy to restoring and fortifying community clean energy resilience based on local principles and resources. During Phase One, teams submitted impact plans detailing their experiences engaging and supporting disadvantaged communities. These plans also included activities teams would implement during Phase Two, resources and capabilities needed to successfully engage with communities, and finally, their vision and anticipated long-term impacts of their project. 

With more than 200 applications, this prize attracted the most applicants of any Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy prize to date. Of those submissions, 85% identified themselves as first-time applicants, and 54% of applications were submitted by businesses owned by women, minorities, or disadvantaged persons. This prize is part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Justice40 efforts. 

WPTO 2020-2021 Accomplishments Report