US DOE Challenge to Drive Down Solar Costs

Washington, D.C. – Energy Department Tuesday announced SunShot Catalyst, a new prize competition to spur the rapid creation and development of products and solutions that address near-term challenges in the U.S. solar marketplace.

SunShot Catalyst will leverage the reach and power of online crowdsourcing to generate ideas, spur business innovations and develop prototypes. The competition will also enable American entrepreneurs to launch cutting-edge solar companies

The SunShot Summit, taking place this week in Anaheim, California, will bring together more than 800 solar energy leaders from across industry, academia, the policymaking community, and the Department’s national laboratories to highlight the recent strides made by the solar industry to significantly reduce costs and deploy solar energy nationwide.

The Catalyst program consists of four steps with value awarded to all winning contestants totaling $1,000,000, including about $500,000 in cash prizes.

Details of the event and how solution providers can apply can be found at the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Catalyst website.