The Department of Energy’s American-Made program drives innovation through prize challenges, offering millions of dollars in funding for clean energy solutions.
- The American-Made Challenges program is different in that it funds prizes instead of grants, Wyatt Merrill, technology manager for the Building Technologies Office at the Department of Energy, said. The office is looking for certain outcomes, so it rewards projects that reach those outcomes, making the program less risky for the government, he explained.
- One prize is for innovating solutions to make electrifying homes more affordable to help reach decarbonization efforts set forth by the current administration, according to Merrill.
- The Solar prize is one of the longest running prizes and is looking for efficiency gains, ease of installation and aesthetic presentation, he said.
SEE ALSO | Reducing carbon emissions in the federal government
Solar energy panels installed in straight long rows. Agricultural field at the background. (Adobe Stock)
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 13: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories Director Dr. Kim Budil speaks during a news conference with fellow administrators and scientists at the Department of Energy headquarters to announce a breakthrough in fusion research on December 13, 2022 in Washington, DC. The officials announced that experiments at the National Ignition Facility at the LLNL achieved 'ignition,' where the fusion energy generated equals the laser energy that started the reaction for the first time ever, a major advancement that may produce bountiful clean energy in the future. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
SOMERSET, MA - JULY 20: President Joe Biden delivers remarks on climate change and clean energy at Brayton Point Power Station on July 20, 2022 in Somerset, Massachusetts. Biden announced executive actions on the 'climate crisis.' (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
