EnergyTech University Prize 2023 Competition

In October 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) launched the second round of the EnergyTech University Prize (EnergyTech UP). The prize challenged student teams to develop and present a business plan that leveraged DOE National Laboratory-developed and other high-potential energy technologies while competing for $370,000 in cash prizes.

In February 2023, prize administrators announced that 184 teams from 124 schools would compete, representing 44 states, the District of Columbia, and two U.S. territories.

During the first phase of the competition, students explored business and energy technology opportunities and presented their findings at one of 15 Explore Events, hosted by regional convening organizations, in February 2023. At the conclusion of the events, 15 Regional Winners were awarded $3,000 each.

During the Explore Events, 64 Bonus Prize Finalists were also selected within nine technology categories.

Building Technologies Office - Focus: 120V Heat Pump Water Heaters
Geothermal Technologies Office - Focus: Innovation and Inclusiveness
Office of Electricity
- Focus 1: Grid Enhancing Technologies
- Focus 2: Large Power Transformers
Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management - Focus: Carbon Dioxide Removal
Office of Nuclear Energy - Focus: Accelerated Development and Deployment
Office of Technology Transitions - Focus: National Lab IP Licensing
Solar Energy Technologies Office - Focus: Performance, Affordability, Reliability, and Value of Solar Technologies
Water Power Technologies Office - Focus: Powering the Blue Economy

REGIONAL WINNERS AND BONUS PRIZE FINALISTS

Region	Regional Winners and Bonus Prize Finalists
COASTAL NORTHWEST Hosted by the University of Washington Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship	Regional Winner: Rockfix, Stanford University and Harvard University Bonus Prize Finalists Geothermal: FlexERGY, Stanford University Fossil Energy and Carbon Management: Greenify Concrete, Stanford University National Lab Technology IP Licensing: EcoRare, University of Washington
EAST TEXAS Hosted by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship	Regional Winner: LiQuidium, University of Houston Bonus Prize Finalists Geothermal: Energy Transmission that Beats Electricity, Baylor University Electricity: New Technology for End of Life Battery Repurposing, Rice University; CryptoPV: A Sustainable Duo for Grid Stability, Texas A&M University Fossil Energy and Carbon Management: E-CO2: Electrifying Chemical Production from CO2, Rice University National Lab Technology IP Licensing: Revolutionizing Hydrogen with Ceramic Membranes, Prairie View A&M University and University of Houston Water Power: Magnetic Gears to Unlock Wave Energy, Texas A&M University
FLORIDA & ALABAMA Hosted by Florida High Tech Corridor	Regional Winner: Battery Doctor, University of Alabama Bonus Prize Finalists Electricity / Grid Enhancing Technologies: HyBrTec: One Dollar Hydrogen - Desulfurization of Natural Gas Producing Hydrogen, Florida International University Fossil Energy and Carbon Management: From Waste to Market Growth: CO2 Eating Algae, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and Florida State University National Lab Technology IP Licensing: From Waste to Market Growth: CO2 Eating Algae, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and Florida State University Solar: The MEGA: Mobile Electricity Generating Appliance, New College of Florida Water Power: RenergyNest, University of Florida
GREAT LAKES Hosted by Evergreen Climate Innovations	Regional Winner: Team Carbonbusters, Purdue University Bonus Prize Finalists Electricity / Grid Enhancing Technologies: GridLink EV Fleet Management Software, Illinois Institute of Technology Electricity / Large Power Transformers: Ultra High-Power Density Supercapacitors, University of Notre Dame Fossil Energy and Carbon Management: Removing the Barrier to Entry to Net-Zero Biofuels, Purdue University National Lab Technology IP Licensing: Supercharge: 5x Renewable Methane Production, The University of Chicago
MID-ATLANTIC Hosted by the Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University	Regional Winner: Direct Recycling of Battery Manufacturing Waste, The Ohio State University and The University of Akron Bonus Prize Finalists Geothermal: PCM-infused Concrete: Building Energy Savvy, Lehigh University Electricity / Grid Enhancing Technologies: The Next Generation of Wind Turbines/Wind Farms, University of Cincinnati Electricity / Large Power Transformers: Hydrogen Production Using Off-Peak Nuclear Energy, Case Western Reserve University Fossil Energy and Carbon Management: Sodium Ion Batteries, University of Dayton National Lab Technology IP Licensing: AeroMINE - The Future of Distributed Clean Energy, Indiana University Nuclear: Hydrogen Production Using Off-Peak Nuclear Energy, Case Western Reserve University
MOUNTAIN WEST Hosted by WY Ranch	Regional Winner: Wildflower Project, Oregon Institute of Technology Bonus Prize Finalists Electricity / Grid Enhancing Technologies: Smart Dorm Technologies, University of Montana Electricity / Large Power Transformers: High-Voltage Phase-Identifier, South Dakota State University Fossil Energy and Carbon Management: TronaH2: A Hydrogen Storage Solution, University of Wyoming National Lab Technology IP Licensing: A Dynamic Plug-and-Play Project for DER Modeling, Purdue University and University of Colorado Boulder Nuclear: Additively Manufactured Sensors for Nuclear Energy, Boise State University Solar: The Wildflower Project, Oregon Institute of Technology Water Power: Electricity Production from Wastewater by MFC, University of Wyoming
NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION Hosted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory	Regional Winner and Water Power Bonus Prize Finalist: Team Electromaim, The George Washington University Bonus Prize Finalists Geothermal: Visonergy - Cow Cooling Before Climate Catastrophe, University of Maryland Solar: Solartech Purifier Team - Solar Energy Enabled Disinfection System, George Mason University
NEW YORK CITY METRO Hosted by the Syracuse Center of Excellence and NYSERDA	Regional Winner: Team Heliotrope, New York University Bonus Prize Finalists Electricity / Grid Enhancing Technologies: Grid Discovery, Stevens Institute of Technology Electricity / Large Power Transformers: TransX Automated Transit System, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Fossil Energy and Carbon Management: HVACapture: Direct-Air Capture on an HVAC System, Columbia University Solar: Efficiency Boosting Thin Films for Solar Panels, New York University
NORTHEAST Hosted by Cleantech Open Northeast	Regional Winner: Carbon to Stone, Cornell University Bonus Prize Finalists Electricity / Grid Enhancing Technologies: RLGrid: AI-Driven Grid Management and Expansion, Cornell University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Fossil Energy and Carbon Management: CO2 Reduction into Fuel, Cornell University National Lab Technology IP Licensing: AeroMINE: Revolutionary Wind Energy Generation, Harvard University and Dartmouth College Nuclear: Pink Hydrogen a Pathway to the Future, Maine Maritime Academy Solar: Cogen Solar Cooker, Cornell University
NORTHERN PLAINS Hosted by Grid Catalyst	Regional Winner and Electricity / Grid Enhancing Technologies Bonus Prize Finalist: Flux XII: Go with the Flow Batteries, University of Wisconsin-Madison Bonus Prize Finalists Geothermal: Clean Extraction of Precious Elements, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Fossil Energy and Carbon Management: Carba - Permanent carbon removal, University of Minnesota Twin Cities Solar: Low-Cost Heliostat for CSP and PV, University of Wisconsin-Madison
SOUTH ATLANTIC Hosted by Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster	Regional Winner and National Lab Technology IP Licensing Bonus Prize Finalist: Team ReLi - Sustainable Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling, The University of Virginia Bonus Prize Finalists Buildings: Efficient Solar Hybrid PV/Thermal Panel and System, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Electricity / Grid Enhancing Technologies: Building Paradise, DeVry University, The University of Texas, George Mason University Fossil Energy and Carbon Management: Biocharm - The Pursuit of Carbon Negative Concrete, Appalachian State University Solar: ReCon: Circuit reconfiguration BIPV technology, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte Water Power: Water Ram Pump, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
SOUTH CENTRAL & U.S. ISLANDS Hosted by Elemental Excelerator	Regional Winner and National Lab Technology IP Licensing Bonus Prize Finalist: Refrigerant Recycling with Membrane Technology team, University of Kansas Bonus Prize Finalists Electricity / Grid Enhancing Technologies: KSUOU Protonic - Protonic Ceramic Cells: The Future of Hydrogen, The University of Oklahoma and Kansas State University Fossil Energy and Carbon Management: Carbon Capture is For Everybody, Mississippi State University Solar: Sun Forest Solutions: Energy Agroforests, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
SOUTHEAST Hosted by the University of Kentucky	Regional Winner: Team Bio-Based Terrazzo, University of Louisville Bonus Prize Finalists Electricity / Grid Enhancing Technologies: GridBoost: Maximizing Transmission Capacity, Georgia Institute of Technology and Georgia State University Fossil Energy and Carbon Management: Bringing a new life to Biowaste, Morehouse College and Spelman College National Lab Technology IP Licensing: Hy-Pro, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology Solar: Photovoltaic Recycling & Management, University of Kentucky
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Hosted by Cleantech San Diego and University of California San Diego	Regional Winner and National Lab Technology IP Licensing Bonus Prize Finalist: Low Temperature Hydrothermal Synthesis, University of California, San Diego Bonus Prize Finalists Electricity / Grid Enhancing Technologies: GETECH - Hacking the Grid, University of California, San Diego Fossil Energy and Carbon Management: C-Quester - $30 Point-source Carbon Capture, California Institute of Technology Solar: Atop, University of California, Los Angeles
SOUTHWEST Hosted by the University of Arizona Center for Innovation	Regional Winner: Pike Robotics, University of Texas at Austin and University of Houston Bonus Prize Finalists Electricity / Grid Enhancing Technologies: Rechargeable Zn-ion Batteries for Energy Storage, Arizona State University Electricity / Large Power Transformers: Solid-State Transformer for the New Electric Grid, The University of Texas at Austin National Lab Technology IP Licensing: EarthEn's CO2 Based Energy System Using ANL's TESS, Georgia Institute of Technology, Arizona State University, and University of California, Irvine Solar: Sun Stop Solar - Today's Energy. Tomorrow's Future, Arizona State University

After all Bonus Prize finalists were selected, the DOE technology offices sponsoring the prizes reviewed the student pitches and selected up to one team per category to receive the $25,000 award.

The final National Pitch Event, featuring Regional Winners and the National Lab IP Licensing Bonus Prize Winner, was held on April 3, 2023, at Zpryme’s Energy Thought Summit in Austin, Texas. Students presented live pitches to a panel of industry judges in the hopes of becoming one of the top three National Winners.

2023 National Winners & Bonus Prize Winners
The following teams were selected as EnergyTech University Prize 2023 National and Bonus Prize Winners.

TEAM	SCHOOL	STATUS
Team Heliotrope	New York University	First-Place National Winner
Team ReLi	University of Virginia	Second-Place National Winner
Team Icorium	The University of Kansas	Third-Place National Winner
Team Visionergy	University of Maryland	Geothermal Bonus Prize Winner
Team RLGrid	Cornell University Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Electricity / Grid Enhancing Technologies Bonus Prize Winner
Solid-State Transformer for the New Electric Grid	The University of Texas at Austin	Electricity / Large Power Transformers Bonus Prize Winner
Team Biocharm	Appalachian State University	Fossil Energy and Carbon Management Bonus Prize Winner
Revolutionizing Hydrogen with Ceramic Membranes	Prairie View A&M University University of Houston	National Lab Technology IP Licensing Bonus Prize WInner
Additively Manufactured Sensors for Nuclear Energy	Boise State University	Nuclear Energy Bonus Prize Winner
Team UW Madison Helios	University of Wisconsin-Madison	Solar Energy Bonus Prize Winner
Team Magnetic Gears for Wave Energy	Texas A&M University	Water Power Bonus Prize Winner

Learn More

On April 3, 2023, the Office of Technology Transitions announced that the program would return for a third edition, with registration expected to open in Fall 2023 and competition activities to occur in early 2024.

Follow EnergyTech UP on HeroX, the official competition platform, for updates on the latest round of competition.