Community Energy Innovation Prize

Congratulations Clean Energy Ecosystem & Manufacturing Ecosystem Tracks PROGRESS Phase Winners!

Twenty-one competing teams in the Ecosystem Tracks of the Community Energy Innovation Prize received $100,000 each for the successful completion of the PROGRESS Phase. These teams will continue to make progress and complete the activities outlined in their Impact Plans for a chance to win a piece of the grand prize in December.

Teams were awarded based on the progress they demonstrated in their planned community activities and their ability to show measurable impacts.   

The Clean Energy Ecosystem Track PROGRESS Phase winners are:

Community Through Colors, Isabel Segunda, Vieques, PR  

Installing microgrid and community solar system upgrades and providing training to transform the community. 

Convivencia Hispana Energy Navigators, St. James, MN  

Creating a community energy navigator program to provide 200 free energy audits to Latino residents and increase awareness of energy efficiency and clean energy. 

East Phillips Neighborhood Institute (EPNI) and Cooperative Energy Futures (CEF), Minneapolis, MN  

Using a former superfund site to build the largest solar array closest to a city center in the U.S. that is member-owned by neighbor residents.   

Innovate Gloucester, Gloucester, MA  

Exploring a community-led geothermal microgrid solutions for equitable decarbonization. 

LEI Foundation Energize Wai’anae Moku, Wai’anae, HI  

Investing in the Energy Warriors program to encourage community leadership and galvanize the Warriors’ roles in the clean energy transition. 

People Power: Energy Security | Ownership, Fort Smith, AR  

Delivering energy efficiency and clean energy solutions to target neighborhood residents. 

Pomona, CA – Direct-to-Renter Clean Energy Program, Pomona, CA  

Creating and delivering no-cost clean energy in a direct-to-renter program for low-income renter households. 

Requity Foundation, Baltimore, MD  

Breaking down barriers between vocational education and the clean energy workforce through a variety of projects engaging the local community.   

RESCo Innovation Team, Rosebud Sioux Reservation, SD  

Coordinating and promoting the clean energy transition with workforce development and student training on the Rosebud Reservation. 

Shake Energy Collaborative, Honolulu and Wai’anae, HI  

Supporting historically disinvested communities in Hawai’i to co-design renewable energy projects and bid for upcoming utility procurements. 

Team Bean, New Orleans, LA  

Expanding understanding of clean energy and climate resilience challenges and opportunities for local public-school students.   

The Manufacturing Ecosystem Track PROGRESS Phase winners are:

 APLUS, Arlington, TX  

Providing hands-on power electronic training to underserved students, while bridging the gap between lab learning and job searching. 

CEIP Warren, Warren, OH  

Combining manufacturing skills education with energy entrepreneurship in a redesigned community center that fosters inclusivity and innovation. 

Clean Tech Innovation Network, Chicago, IL  

Supporting manufacturing-based innovation, entrepreneurship, and job creation with special focus on energy infrastructure for grid modernization.  

Eighth Generation Consulting, Pawhuska, OK  

Building out the clean energy economy by connecting manufacturing with the material reality of generations of legacy energy infrastructure. 

Green Leap Riverside, Riverside County, CA  

Delivering an actionable roadmap to energy efficiency for manufacturing leaders in Riverside County, CA. 

IMPACTT, Evansville, IN  

Providing a necessary catalyst to Indiana’s growth and prosperity through early entrepreneurial education. 

Metals Innovation Initiative (MI2), Four Counties in KY  

Revitalizing Kentucky metals manufacturing by planning clean energy conversion, statewide recycling, and innovative workforce solutions.  

PDX Clean Industry Network, Portland, OR  

Supporting clean industry solutions to foster innovation and jumpstart industrial symbiosis in Portland’s Columbia Corridor.  

Scale for ClimateTech, New York State  

Providing capacity-building programming and support to under-represented manufacturers and cleantech startups to achieve key manufacturing milestones and accelerate the time it takes to move from a prototype to a commercial product. 

Southland Development Authority Team, Tinley Park, IL  

Launching an engineering technology internship program, developing clean energy industry partnerships, and establishing a cutting-edge manufacturing facility. 

Congratulations to the winning teams, and we look forward to seeing the continued progress as we approach the end of the prize with the IMPACT Phase! 

On June 25 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C., the Clean Energy Business Network hosted the Community Energy Innovation (CEI) Summit on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy. The summit showcased the three winning teams of the Collegiate Track of the Community Energy Innovation Prize and offered technical assistance and networking opportunities to the Ecosystem Track teams and other organizations working to create an equitable clean energy transition. 

Read CEBN’s recap blog to learn more about the winning teams, see photos from the event, discover relevant federal funding programs, and learn about the summit’s key takeaways!

CONCEPT Phase winners across both the Clean Energy Ecosystem Track and Manufacturing Ecosystem Track should submit their progress metrics and milestones by this Friday, July 19 at 5 p.m. ET for a chance to win up to $100,000 and move on to compete for the Grand Prize! 

Here’s what to do: 

Review the official prize rules to ensure you know what to submit 

Use the submission template (optional) to ensure materials are in the right format 

Leverage your Power Connectors to help provide submission feedback 

Start uploading your Progress Report and Evidence of Progress in advance to avoid network difficulties! 

Email communityenergy@nrel.gov if you’re having trouble submitting (before 5 p.m. ET) 

We can’t wait to read about your work!  

For the CONCEPT Phase winners of both Ecosystem Tracks, don’t miss this chance to win up to $100,000 and in-kind mentorship services! The deadline to submit your PROGRESS Phase submissions is before 5 p.m. ET on Friday, July 19. We highly recommend getting all materials submitted before then to avoid any network difficulties or long upload times. 
Here’s what a complete submission looks like: 

• Progress Report (will be scored, won’t be made public) 
• Evidence of Progress (will be scored, won’t be made public) 

For more details on submission requirements, please see the official prize rules. Review the submission template to ensure you’re providing all the required information. If you are having technical difficulties ahead of the submission deadline, email the prize team at communityenergy@nrel.gov.  

Lastly, remember that Power Connectors are here to support you!

Best of luck,

Community Energy Innovation Prize Team

At the Community Energy Innovation Summit held on June 25 in Washington, DC, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the final winning teams in the IMPACT Phase of the Collegiate Track of the CEI prize.

Through their submissions and in-person pitches, the three winning teams showed outstanding impacts on their local communities, strong ties to their community partners, and tremendous leadership by the teams' student leaders. The teams' community partners were awarded a total of $100,000 for the IMPACT phase, bringing the total prize money awarded to $235,000 across the collegiate competition. 

The following teams were named winners of the IMPACT Phase in the Collegiate Track:

• Greener CASA, The University of Texas at Tyler
  • Awarded $45,000 for their community partner, the Monarca Initiative
  • Creating an academia-community partnership to bring free energy audits to disadvantaged communities to promote energy efficiency.
• Georgia Tech Zero Energy Collaborations (GTZEC), Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Awarded $30,000 for their community partner, the Westside Future Fund and Lifecycle Building Center
  • Designing and building sustainable net-zero homes to address energy challenges, develop a green workforce, and train the next generation of sustainability professionals in Westside Atlanta.
• GreenSynergy, The University of Texas at Tyler
  • Awarded $25,000 for their community partner, Houston Community College
  • Integrating clean energy into education, and using solar panels, fuel cells, and other technologies to foster learning and sustainability.

Read what the the U.S. Department of Energy wrote about the winners here.