Exciting news! Round 2 of the Digitizing Utilities Prize is coming soon! Read more about the prize on HeroX, and don't forget to follow the Round 2 page, even if you're following the Round 1 page. Past competitors are encouraged to apply with new ideas and updated materials.
The Digitizing Utilities Prize
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Electricity launched the $1.1-million Digitizing Utilities Prize to connect utilities with interdisciplinary teams of software developers and data experts to transform digital systems in the energy sector through data analytics, processing, quality assurance, storage, and deletion.
Recent advancements in the energy industry have enabled utilities to collect more data than ever before, challenging traditional methods of data acquisition, use, and storage. The Digitizing Utilities Prize supports competitors as they work directly with utility partners to develop software solutions to improve how the energy industry manages, stores, and processes these large data sets.
This Digitizing Utilities Prize supports DOE’s commitment to accelerating research, development, and demonstration of new technologies and tools within the electricity sector to advance reliability, resilience, and affordable operation of the power system.
Plan and Progress Phases
The Digitizing Utilities Prize supports competitors as they work directly with utility partners to develop software solutions through two phases: Plan and Progress. This approach will drive accelerated development of the most promising ideas.
Phase 1 – Plan: Teams of developers (e.g., software developers, automation engineers, data scientists) will form robust teams that are willing to solve one of the utility issues presented. Teams must demonstrate that they have an understanding of the problem and propose how they would solve the problem.
Up to nine winners of Phase 1 will receive a cash prize of $75,000.
Phase 2 – Progress: Winning teams will work with the utility partners over six months to implement their proposed solution by developing a software solution that addresses the issues presented by the utilities. Teams must demonstrate how their methods and process could be utilized by other utilities in the future.
Up to four winners of Phase 2 will receive a portion of the $425,000 total cash prize pool.
Prize Tracks and Utility Partners
Interested competitors may choose to collaborate with one of the predetermined industry partners supporting the Digitizing Utilities Prize or select a separate utility and existing digitization or data challenge for their proposal. Submissions must identify which of the following tracks their proposal aims to support.
Track 1 – Load Modeling (Bonneville Power Administration)
Competitors will use load modeling to help correctly forecast future power demands, specifically addressing the dynamic nature of weather-sensitive loads for residential and commercial buildings.
Track 2 – Data Analysis Automation (Dominion Energy)
Competitors will propose methods for automation of data analysis to help engineers scrutinize and evaluate a data-driven approach to resolving nuanced complexities across the system.
Track 3 – Competitor-Identified Challenge
Teams with an existing utility partner may apply with their own digitization or data challenge and proposed solution. Eligible topics are outlined in the official prize rules.
Competitor and Technology Eligibility
The Digitizing Utilities Prize is open to private entities (for-profit and nonprofit), and non-federal government entities (such as states, counties, tribes, and municipalities, academic institutions, and individuals) in the U.S. Employees of the predetermined track challenges (Track 1 and 2) are ineligible to apply. Teams participating in Track 3 can be led by a utility or an independent with a preexisting utility partnership.
For more information, including complete eligibility requirements, please review the official prize rules.
View Prize Rules for more information.
Please review the official rules for the complete submission process and instructions for participating.