Category: Awards & contests

DOE launches Microbattery Design Prize

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced the launch of the Microbattery Design Prize. This two-stage competition will award up to $1.1 million in federal funding and performance and safety testing services with DOE national laboratories to innovative small-capacity battery design projects that will yield improved performance, safety, and recyclability.

The purpose of this design prize is to advance innovative new designs for microbatteries and accelerate their commercialization and integration into existing technologies needed for clean energy manufacturing, like sensor systems for improved smart manufacturing processes, and sensors for grid monitoring of renewable energy sources as the nation continues its transition to clean energy future.

Because of the requirements associated with their small size, the microbattery market is unable to leverage many of the existing manufacturing processes of the larger battery supply chain ecosystem. This presents a major barrier to the development and commercialization of new microbattery chemistries and designs, along with an opportunity to increase domestic production and secure supply chains. Not only are microbatteries crucial for clean energy manufacturing scale-up and smart technology innovation, but some manufacturing innovations resulting from this design prize could be applied to larger batteries as well. Microbatteries are also critical components of non-energy-related technologies that society relies on, such as wearable and implantable medical devices, meaning the resultant designs of this prize could affect innovation across multiple industries.

This announcement marks the opening of the first of two phases in the Microbattery Design Prize.

  • Phase 1: Idea
    The first phase will select the best ideas for a new microbattery design.  During Phase 1, competitors will develop and submit technical designs and schematics for microbatteries that serve a specific application (like a grid monitoring devices) and meet certain performance goals (like a specific storage capacity, cycle lifetime, safety, or recyclability) that go beyond what is commercially available today.
     
  • Phase 2: Test
    During this second phase, competitors will create prototypes they can submit to DOE national labs for performance and safety testing.  Competitors will also work to determine potential cost to manufacture their designs at scale. By the end of this contest, participants will develop a realistic plan to commercialize and manufacture their technology. Note: Only selectees from phase I will be eligible for participation in phase II.

Applications for Phase 1 are due on July 1, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. ET. DOE anticipates making up to six awards in Phase 1, each consisting of a $75,000 cash prize and performance and safety testing services with DOE National Laboratories. Learn more about the prize, including deadlines and how to apply. DOE will hold an informational webinar on April 12, 2023, at 12:00 p.m. ET.

The Microbattery Design Prize is led by DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) and managed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Visit the Microbattery Design Prize page on the American-Made Challenges website for more information.

Webinar: What is the Buildings Upgrade Prize (Buildings UP) and How to Win Prizes and Technical Assistance

Mar 9, 2023, noon CT
Register here.

Through the Buildings Upgrade Prize (Buildings UP), DOE is offering more than $22 million in cash prizes and technical assistance to teams across America with winning ideas to accelerate widespread, equitable energy-efficiency and building electrification upgrades.

Community-based organizations, state governments, local governments, Indian tribes, building owners, utilities, nonprofit organizations, energy-efficiency program implementers, and other organizations are encouraged to team up and apply, with submissions currently being accepted. Up to 50 Application Support Prizes of $5,000 and 10 hours of technical assistance are available to help new and under-resourced team complete applications. Prizes will be awarded on a rolling basis.

Global essay competition: Young Voices in the Chemical Sciences for Sustainability

The International Organization for Chemical Sciences in Development, in collaboration with the Royal Society of Chemistry, is launching an annual essay competition on the role of the chemical sciences in sustainability.

The competition is open globally to entrants under 35 years of age. The theme for the 2023 competition is “How can the chemical sciences lead the stewardship of the Earth’s element resources?“

The application deadline is March 31.

Spotlight on 2022’s Product Winner: ADEQ

Read the full story in Environment + Energy Leader.

As a result of the Pandemic, ADEQ developed and launched a new telecommute emissions reduction calculator that allows employers to estimate how telecommuting programs reduce pollutants that contribute to regional air quality problems. Developed with community/local business input, the calculator was included as an upgrade to a regional transportation demand management platform and includes the following innovative features: Telework emissions reductions calculations for regionally specific pollutants (NOx, VOC and PM10) to show how telework prevents air pollution — the first program in the region to share such detail. Easy to understand, presentation-ready emissions reduction totals are translated into equivalencies for more widely understood activities (e.g., decommissioning leaf blowers), and plug-and-play telework emissions reduction tables simplify employer sustainability reports.

DOE launches $10 million prize to accelerate community solar in underrepresented communities

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP) today launched a slate of initiatives to support the deployment of equitable community solar projects and recognized projects exemplifying best practices in community solar. Community solar allows any household to access the benefits of renewable energy, with an emphasis on those that cannot access rooftop solar. The Community Power Accelerator™ and its $10 million prize will leverage $5 billion in private-sector financing commitments to help community-based organizations and other mission-aligned project developers access financing and build community solar projects, particularly in disadvantaged and underrepresented communities. The Department is also launching a new campaign to highlight the connections between solar energy and its long-term benefits, beginning with community solar. Community solar will play a vital role in supporting the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative to ensure that every community benefits from the clean energy transition and in achieving the President’s goals of a 100% electric grid by 2035 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Accelerating equitable community solar deployment with the Community Power Accelerator

President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act established tax credits for solar energy projects, including a 20% bonus credit for solar power projects that sell their electricity to low-income households. This tax credit could support up to 18 GW of additional community solar projects over the next 10 years, enough to power over 2.5 million homes. The critical challenge is ensuring that all types of organizations and communities have access to the funds to develop community solar and that the projects deployed deliver “meaningful benefits” to communities and subscribers, like electricity bill savings, community ownership and wealth-building, resilience, equitable workforce development, and low- and moderate-income household access.

Today, DOE’s National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP) launched the Community Power Accelerator™ to bring together investors, philanthropic organizations, developers, community-based organizations, and technical experts to work together to get more equitable community solar projects financed and deployed. The Accelerator will support developers with technical assistance and a Learning Lab to build a pipeline of verified, credit-ready projects that will connect with investors seeking to fund community solar in disadvantaged communities. Financial institutions and philanthropic organizations participating in the Accelerator have committed $5 billion in private sector financing for projects that are credit-ready.

The Accelerator includes the following programs:

  • The Community Power Accelerator Prize is a new $10 million competition that will provide pre-development funds to organizations to build the expertise, experience, and capacity required to develop community solar projects at scale.
  • An online platform, developed by DOE and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, that will enable community-based organizations, intermediaries, and other mission-aligned project developers to connect with investors and philanthropic organizations seeking to fund a more diverse and community-based pipeline of community solar projects.
  • A Learning Lab and technical assistance program will prepare community-based organizations, small or new solar developers, and others to develop, finance, and build “credit-ready” community solar projects—projects that are ready for financing.

Recognizing best practices in community solar

During the NCSP Annual Summit, DOE announced the winners of the Sunny Awards for Equitable Community Solar, an awards program that recognizes best practices in community solar projects and programs that increase equitable access and ensure benefits—such as greater household savings, good-paying jobs, and enhanced energy resilience—go to subscribers and their communities.

Five teams were selected for Grand Prize awards. Across the board, these five winners will help households achieve a projected combined total savings of $4.3 million on their energy bills. The projects provide clean energy access for 7,300 low- to moderate-income households and demonstrate best practices in increasing resilience, expanding community ownership, building a more equitable workforce, and leading community engagement.

  • Shungnak-Kobuk Community Solar Battery IPP (Shungnak, AK): This solar and battery project led by the Shungnak and Kobuk tribes in the Northwest Arctic Borough region in Alaska aims to stabilize the cost of electricity and allow the communities to take charge of their energy future.
  • Faribault Community Solar (Faribault, MN): The Faribault Community Solar project is a cooperatively-owned community solar array serving mostly low-to-moderate income residents in southern Minnesota.
  • Community Power: Jobs and Savings for LMI Households (Brooklyn, NY): Community Power delivers energy savings to 500 households, provided workforce training, and offered paid jobs to public housing residents.
  • District of Columbia’s Solar for All (Washington, DC): Solar for All is a program designed to reduce electricity bills for households in Washington, DC, through single-family and community solar projects.
  • JOE-4-SUN Ashland (Ashland, MA): JOE-4-SUN Ashland is a 6 MW community solar project that saves low-to-moderate income households over $400 per year on electricity costs and brings the benefits of clean, renewable energy to a superfund site.

Connecting the dots on solar energy: Generating power for generations

DOE also launched a new campaign to highlight the many benefits of solar energy to individuals and communities and provide a resource hub so that the public can learn about how solar will positively impact the nation’s future. The Inflation Reduction Act lowers the cost of solar energy for consumers and businesses while creating good paying jobs as deployment and manufacturing capacity grows across the country. Over the next few years, millions of households are expected to join the nearly 4 million American households that have gone solar—either through installing solar on their rooftops or by joining a community solar program. The Connect the Dots on Solar Energy campaign will focus on making connections between solar energy investments and their enduring, long-term benefits.

About the National Community Solar Partnership

NCSP is working to increase community solar installed in the United States to 20 GW, enough to power the equivalent of five million households by 2025 and create $1 billion in energy bill savings to consumers across America. NCSP has over 1,300 partners who leverage peer networks and technical assistance resources to overcome barriers to expanding community solar access.

Learn more about DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Office and the National Community Solar Partnership.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy

We’re not lion: The 2022 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards are a good laugh

Read the full story from NPR.

From a salmon punching a bear in the face to a penguin that seems to have no head, the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards announced its winners this year.

The organization fields thousands of submissions for each of its photo categories: creatures of the land, creatures of the air, creatures of the sea, a junior award for photographers 18 years old or under, an internet portfolio award, and a people’s choice award.

Science without Borders® Challenge: International Student Art Contest

Application deadline: Monday, March 6, 2023, midnight ET.

The Science Without Borders® Challenge is an international contest that engages students and teachers in ocean conservation through art. This annual competition inspires students to be creative while promoting public awareness of the need to preserve, protect, and restore the world’s oceans and aquatic resources, contributing to the overarching goals of the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation. The Challenge is open to primary and secondary school students 11-19 years old, with scholarships of up to $500 awarded to the winning entries.

The theme for the 2023 Science without Borders® Challenge is “The Sixth Extinction.” For this year’s contest, you can help create awareness about endangered species. Students will create a piece of artwork that highlights the beauty and importance of a marine species that is on the brink of extinction. Learn about the theme.

To apply, fill out the online entry form, upload a picture of your artwork, and make sure everything is submitted before the deadline. If you are under the age of 13, your parents will be asked to provide consent. Before applying, check out Tips for Success for suggestions on how to make the most of your application, such as how to write a compelling artist’s statement and describing how your artwork relates to this year’s theme.

Learn more on the Living Oceans Foundation website.

Sustainability Excellence in Manufacturing Awards

ProFood World will recognize outstanding food and beverage processing and packaging innovation projects via the eighth annual Sustainability Excellence in Manufacturing Awards competition. 

These annual peer-reviewed awards recognize manufacturing plants for their efforts in driving improved performance through sustainability, honoring those companies and individuals that seek to go beyond environmental compliance. Specifically, the awards focus on pollution prevention, enhanced environmental protection and stewardship, as well as compliance assurance.

Submissions are due March 1, 2023. Please be sure to submit your entry into the correct Program or Project Category and download the proper corresponding submission form. The Program Category is defined as an on-going program, company-wide or multi-facility program. The Project Category is defined by one-time project. (It may later be rolled out to other facilities after completion of project at one facility.)

Eligibility: Programs and projects must be completed and operational between November 2021 and December 2022.

Multiple awards will be named in the Program, Project, and Processor/Supplier Partnership categories, including reduction in water and energy, waste conservation, pollution prevention, packaging materials reductions and more.

Find more information, example submissions, and links to past award winning projects and programs on the ProFood World website.

2022 AASHE Sustainability Award winners announced

“The 2022 AASHE Sustainability Award winners demonstrate an inspiring passion for progressing sustainability at their campus. They are raising the bar and evolving what sustainability in higher education looks like.”

AASHE Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) recently announced the 12 winners for the 2022 AASHE Sustainability Awards. The winners represent sustainability leadership from across the globe–Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Fiji, Kenya, Switzerland, United States, and Wales. 

The awards provide global recognition to the individuals and organizations leading the higher education sustainability movement. With the help of volunteer judges from the community, the awards program raises the visibility of high-impact sustainability projects and collaborations, pioneering research, and student leadership, helping to disseminate innovations and inspire continued progress toward environmental, social, and economic health.

This year’s winners

Lifetime Achievement Award Winner

  • Dr. Robert D. Bullard is often described as the father of environmental justice. Dr. Bullard currently serves as distinguished professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy and director of the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University. He served as dean of the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University from 2011-2016 and before that was founding director of the Environmental Justice Resource Center at Clark Atlanta University. He publishes widely on sustainable development, environmental racism, urban land use, industrial facility siting, community reinvestment, housing, transportation, climate justice, disasters, emergency response, and community resilience, smart growth, and regional equity. 

Racial Equity and Sustainability Collaborations Winner

Campus Sustainability Achievement Award Winners

Associate/2-year Institutions

Institutions with over 10,000 FTE Enrollment

Institutions with under 10,000 FTE Enrollment

  • California State University campuses at Chico, Monterey Bay, San Marcos, Stanislaus, Cal Poly Humboldt, and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, as well as Strategic Energy Innovations, partnered on a multi-campus faculty learning community consisting of 62 faculty representing over 30 disciplines. At the time of submission, the CSU Faculty Learning Community in Teaching Climate Change and Resilience resulted in over 75 classes being redesigned to include greater engagement of climate change and resilience.

Campus Sustainability Research Award Winners

Undergraduate Research

Graduate Research

  • Anna Rose Ostrander and Jacob Thomas Namovich at the University of Michigan for “UM Scope 3 Purchased Goods & Services Emissions Footprinting”. This paper evaluates the emissions associated with purchasing of goods and services by the University of Michigan and recommends strategies to reduce these emissions.

Published Journal Article Related to Academics

Published Journal Article Related to Engagement

Published Journal Article Related to Operations

Published Journal Article Related to Planning & Administration

  • Davina Mann, Janelle Kwon, Shaan Naughton, Jasmine Chan, Victoria Hobbs and Gary Sacks at Deakin University; Sinead Boylan and Amanda Grech at University of Sydney; Karen Charlton at University of Wollongong; Jane Dancey at Monash University; Carolyn Dent at Flinders University; Sophie Lamond at University of Melbourne; and Sandra Murray at University of Tasmania for “Development of the University Food Environment Assessment (Uni-Food) Tool and Process to Benchmark the Healthiness, Equity, and Environmental Sustainability of University Food Environments”. This study develops and tests a tool and process to benchmark the healthiness, equity and environmental sustainability of food environments in tertiary education settings. The resulting tool–the University Food Environment Assessment (Uni-Food)–includes 68 indicators related to university systems and governance, campus facilities and environments, and food retail outlets. 

Student Sustainability Leadership Award Winner

About AASHE

AASHE empowers higher education administrators, faculty, staff and students to be effective change agents and drivers of sustainability innovation. AASHE enables members to translate information into action by offering essential resources and professional development to a diverse, engaged community of sustainability leaders. We work with and for higher education to ensure that our world’s future leaders are motivated and equipped to solve sustainability challenges. For more information, visit the AASHE website or follow AASHE on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

U.S. Department of Energy recognizes Better Plants partner Waupaca Foundry, Inc. for energy efficiency leadership

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently recognized Better Buildings, Better Plants partner Waupaca Foundry, Inc. for energy efficiency advances made in its Waupaca, Wisconsin facilities. DOE staff toured Waupaca’s Plant 1 to see firsthand examples of the efficiency innovations made throughout its portfolio.

As the world’s largest iron foundry, Waupaca melts up to 9,500 tons of iron per day. The company committed six facilities across the U.S. as an inaugural Better Plants partner and has reduced energy intensity by more than 20% to date. Since joining Better Plants, Waupaca’s commitment has expanded to include decarbonization through participation in DOE’s Low Carbon Pilot and Better Climate Challenge.

Waupaca received a 2022 Better Plants Better Project Award for upgrading and optimizing the compressed air system at Plant 1, increasing the system’s energy efficiency by 13.5% and reducing annual energy usage by 18,000 MMBtu and annual water usage by 13 million gallons.

At Plant 2/3, the company upgraded and expanded the waste heat recovery system by installing a new control system, upgrading piping, adding three new air units, incorporating new controls and heat recovery technologies, and commissioning the new system and additional air units to ensure all operational requirements were met. The improvements increased the amount of waste heat recovered at Plant 2/3 by 42% and informed Waupaca’s implementation of waste heat recovery upgrades at Plant 1.

The combined savings at Plants 1 and 2/3 reduced Waupaca’s natural gas usage by 1,200,000 therms per year, equivalent to $540,000 in annual savings and an annual reduction of 72,000 tons of CO2. Waupaca shared its process and results in a Better Plants Showcase Project so that other organizations may learn from its success.

Better Plants is part of the Better Buildings Initiative, through which DOE partners with public and private sector organizations to make commercial, public, industrial, and residential buildings more efficient, thereby saving energy and money while creating jobs. To date, more than 900 Better Buildings partners have shared their innovative approaches and strategies for adopting energy efficient technologies. Discover more than 3,000 of these solutions in the Better Buildings Solution Center.