The inaugural year of the EnergyTech University Prize (EnergyTech UP), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Technology Transitions (OTT), is drawing close, with the final student pitch event just a few days away.
EnergyTech UP is designed to further energy technology commercialization by challenging multidisciplinary teams of post-secondary students to develop and present a business plan that leverages national laboratory-developed and other high-potential energy technologies. Through a three-phase competition, students earn cash prizes for successfully identifying an energy technology, assessing its market potential, and proposing a strategy for commercialization.
In its first year, the prize has proven to be quite successful, receiving initial submissions from 180 teams representing 113 schools across the country, with over 500 students involved. In February, competing teams presented at 11 regional Explore Events to share their innovative business plans. From the pool, 11 Regional Winners were selected to receive $2,500 and move on to the Refine Phase of the competition. Six Technology Bonus Prize Finalists were also chosen and awarded $2,000.
The Regional Winners are as follows:
- Deployable Off-Grid CSP Solar Thermal Desalination, University of Hawai’i
- Lignolix: Unlocking the Value of Lignin, University of Delaware
- Magnetic Gears - FluxWorks, Texas A&M University
- Mechanochemical Recycling of LCO Batteries, Stanford University
- Natrion, Boston College, Indiana University, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Plug-and-Play Nuclear Energy Generator, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Recycling of Spent Lithium Ion Batteries, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
- Self-Powered Autonomous Robot for Power Lines, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
- Smart i-Floor, University of Connecticut
- Structural Piezoelectric Supercapacitors, University of Miami
- Super Compact Wireless Charging Infrastructure (Self-Res Power), The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
The Technology Bonus Prize Finalists are as follows:
- Future Heat, The University of Utah
- Pantheon, A Carbon-Negative Cement Replacement, The State University of New York at Binghamton
- Mesophase Steam Condensers, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- ElectroMaim, The George Washington University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Alpha Nur, The University of Chicago and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Solar Shepherds - Agrivoltaics Solutions, Appalachian State University
Now in the midst of the Refine phase, these 17 teams are working with industry mentors and receiving free access to OTT’s Energy I-Corps curriculum to help refine and improve their business plans.
Teams will take the virtual stage and present their refined business plans at the EnergyTech UP National Pitch Finals on Thursday, March 24, during CMU Energy Week, hosted by Carnegie Mellon University’s Scott Institute. The event is open to anyone who is interested in hearing these students present their energy technology pitches.
Register to attend the National Pitch Finals and see competitors’ innovative concepts first-hand.
After the pitches conclude, up to three National Winners will be selected, earning between $5,000–$50,000 in cash prizes. Plus, up to six Technology Bonus Prize Winners will win $25,000 each for their pitches focused on a particular energy technology, as selected by DOE’s program offices. The winners will be announced on Friday, March 25, during the CMU Energy Week Virtual Networking Mixer, where students and energy professionals can connect after the announcement.
Register for the EnergyTech UP winner announcement and CMU Energy Week Virtual Networking Mixer.