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American-Made Challenges

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Innovating Distributed Embedded Energy Prize

Let’s forge a wave-powered future together! New wave energy technologies have the potential to power much of the nation’s grid.

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Energy, Environment & Resources Technology
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InDEEP Wave Energy 3.0 Webinar

This challenge is closed

Energy, Environment & Resources Technology
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Updates21
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Overview Guidelines

Overview

 

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) is launching the Innovating Distributed Embedded Energy Prize (InDEEP) to encourage innovation in distributed embedded energy converter technology (DEEC-Tec, pronounced “deck tech”) to generate new, precommercial materials for wave energy conversion. This prize will challenge innovators from within and beyond wave energy to design and develop novel materials for marine energy applications that will lay the foundation for generating electricity at the grid scale. 

This three-phase, two-year competition is offering a combined cash prize pool up to $2.3 million. Teams will also receive technical support, teaming support, and other forms of mentorship throughout the prize to enable their success.

Wave energy is the most abundant and geographically diverse marine energy resource in the United States. The total available wave energy resource in the United States is equivalent to approximately 34% of all U.S. power generation in 2019.

To help build energy resilience in coastal cities and support President Biden’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, InDEEP seeks innovations that blend materials and renewable energy research to help convert wave energy to usable electricity. This prize is the first step in exploring DEEC-Tec’s potential for ocean wave energy conversion. 

Competitors will use innovative methods to identify DEEC-Tec components and materials that have high techno-economic potential for wave energy converters. Successful concepts developed through this prize are those that show the greatest techno-economic potential to contribute to grid-scale power systems. 

 

Prize Phases 

 

Prize Goals 

  • Leverage WEC innovation methods to systematically develop DEEC-Tec concepts that could bring value to the ocean wave energy conversion industry. 
  • Build a solver community by engaging and facilitating collaboration between diverse innovators inside and outside the marine energy industry and related DEEC-Tec disciplines. 
  • Encourage development of novel DEEC-Tec concepts with high potential relevant to ocean wave energy conversion by supporting an interdisciplinary set of competitors as they move from ideation to design.
  • Refine wave energy converter innovation methods to incorporate ideas from beyond the field of wave energy based on feedback from the prize.

 

 

Guidelines

 

Who can participate?

This prize aims to engage distributed embedded energy conversion experts from a wide variety of fields and disciplines, like piezoelectrics, polymers, and actuators. Innovators within and beyond the wave energy industry are encouraged to create and join multidisciplinary teams in designing and completing proof-of-concept testing of DEEC-Tec concept(s) that are applicable to ocean wave energy conversion. 

To ensure success regardless of knowledge or background in marine energy, competitors will receive multiple types of support throughout the prize, including training in innovation methods, connections with commercialization mentors, and an introduction to marine renewable energy. 

Please see the official prize rules for participant eligibility and resource materials.

Leaderboard

The leaderboard is a representation of engagement throughout Phase II. The final scores represented on the public-facing leaderboard will contribute directly to the final numerical score a competitor receives on their submission. Individual scoring components are included in the official prize rules, and teams can receive up to 5 points per scoring criteria, for a maximum of 15 additional points, that will be calculated and weighted into final scores for their appropriate category. 

Specific engagement activities will be offered and updates will be shared on the leaderboard as teams complete these activities. Teams will not earn points for leaderboard activities prior to completing the initial eligibility confirmation on HeroX. It is the responsibility of the team to notify the prize administrator to transition points to another team, should teams pursue partnerships and a change in the team captain whose name is associated with these engagement changes. 

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Timeline
Updates21

Challenge Updates

Attend the Kickoff Webinar for InDEEP Phase III!

Aug. 6, 2024, 9:08 a.m. PDT by Sam

Congratulations again to the 15 teams named winners of Phase II! Check out the announcement from DOE to learn more about the winning teams.  

 

We’d also like to thank all the competitors who participated in Phase II. We hope we’ll see you compete in future prizes from the American-Made program! Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on future opportunities. 

 

For the teams advancing to Phase III, we are hosting a one-hour kickoff webinar on August 15. During the call, prize administrators will share details about the final phase of the prize, how to submit a successful submission package, and additional technical assistance opportunities that will be available to competitors. Register for the kickoff webinar. 

Congratulations to the InDEEP Phase II Winners!

July 29, 2024, 1:59 p.m. PDT by NREL Prize Moderator (Amanda)

The winners of Phase II are:

  • Artimus Robotics from Boulder, Colorado
  • Condensed Wave Matter from Madison, Wisconsin
  • EBB:Flow from Braintree, Massachusetts
  • Elysium Robotics from Austin, Texas
  • FluxMEMS from Portland, Oregon
  • Kiri DEEC from Houghton, Michigan
  • PECWEC from Storrs, Connecticut
  • The Piezogami Team from Blacksburg, Virginia
  • Pittsburgh Coastal Energy from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • PSU_EnergyHarvesting from State College, Pennsylvania
  • Soft Energy from Ithaca, New York
  • Streaming Energy from La Jolla, California
  • WaterBros Development from Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Wave Grid from Galveston, Texas
  • WaveHarvest from Dallas, Texas

Congratulations to the teams! You can read the full winner's announcement here. We appreciate the engagement and effort of all the teams who competed in Phase II. We hope you will continue to advance your technologies and stay engaged with this InDEEP community.

Phase II Final Leaderboard Results and sign-up for demos!

May 3, 2024, 9:49 a.m. PDT by NREL Prize Moderator

Hi Teams!

Head on over to the leaderboard tab for final Phase II engagement scores! As a reminder these scores are not a reflection of Team rankings within the prize overall, but are the results for official prize engagement activities listed in the rules document for Phase II.

Don't forget to submit your Phase II submissions before the 5pm ET deadline on Tuesday, May 7th!

Lastly, as a reminder Phase II includes a live virtual demonstration (with eligible submissions). Please use this form to let us know your availability for that demonstration. 

Thank you,

The InDEEP Administration Team

Live DEEC Demonstration Webinar Tomorrow 2/29 2pm ET and Resources Reminders

Feb. 28, 2024, 1:17 p.m. PST by NREL Prize Moderator

 

Join us tomorrow 2/29 at 2pm ET for the Virtual DEEC Demonstration Prep Webinar

At the end of Phase II, competitors will be required to attend a virtual meeting with the Prize Administrator demonstrating the testing process and validating the test results in the Test Report and Technical Narrative. Tune into this demonstration webinar, where the prize administrators will roll-play what to expect during a Live Virtual DEEC Demonstration!

Register here!

 

 

A reminder for competitors about all the great resources available to help you succeed with your submission!

 

Meet with an Energy Mentor 1:1!

 

Learn more about Kim Nielsen from Ramboll and schedule a time to meet here: https://calendly.com/kin-ram

 

Learn more about Ronan Costello from WaveVenture and schedule a time to meet here: https://calendly.com/ronan-wave-venture/30-min-meeting

 

Great resources at your fingertips!

Go to our resources page to find the official rules document along with helpful training materials in Appendix C. We also have links to templates and past webinar recordings and slides to refer to. If you have any questions, make sure to post them on the InDEEP forum so other competitors can benefit from the information! 

Informational and Networking Webinar Coming up on Monday, December 18th, 3pm ET

Dec. 13, 2023, 9:46 a.m. PST by NREL Prize Moderator

Register for one of our Power Connector's InDEEP webinars on December 18th from 3 to 4 PM ET!  

Tom Jensen and Cassie Coravos of Entrepreneur Futures Network (EFN) will provide insight from advising hundreds of other technology prize applicants on what steps you should be taking at this point in the prize competition to increase your chances of success. There will be plenty of time for questions and connecting with other potential prize applicants. Come ready to ask questions and network!

 

 

Forum40
Teams353
Entries
Leaderboard
Resources
FAQ
Webinars & Recordings

Webinars & Recordings

Phase III Webinars

 

08/15/24 - 12:00pm MT/2:00pm ET - Join us for this one hour Phase III kickoff webinar! Register here.

 

08/27/24 - 10:00am MT/12:00pm ET - Join us for this one hour Wave Energy 3.0 webinar! Registration here.

 

09/12/24 - 10:00am MT/12:00pm ET - Join us for this one hour DEEC-Tec 3.0 webinar! Register here.

 

09/19/24 - 1:00pm MT/3:00pm ET - Save the Date and join us for this one hour Innovation Methods 3.0 webinar! Register here.

 

09/23/24 - 12:00pm MT/2:00pm ET - Join us for this one hour TPL 3.0 webinar! Registration here.

 

Archive: Phase II Webinars

11/14/23 - 11:00am MT/1:00pm ET - Join us for this one hour phase II kickoff webinar where we will cover details about the prize, information on the support to be provided for competitors, and strategies for developing a successful submission package. Phase II is open to all competitors. Watch the recording here and access the slides here.

 

12/18/24 - 1:00pm MT/3:00pm ET- Register for one of our Power Connector's InDEEP webinars on December 18th from 3 to 4 PM ET.  Tom Jensen and Cassie Coravos of Entrepreneur Futures Network (EFN) will provide insight from advising hundreds of other technology prize applicants on what steps you should be taking at this point in the prize competition to increase your chances of success. There will be plenty of time for questions and connecting with other potential prize applicants.*

 

01/10/24 - 9:00am MT/11:00am ET - This one hour Wave Energy 2.0 webinar will be tailored to Phase II of the challenge and will be an opportunity to chat with experts from the Innovating Distributed Embedded Energy Prize (InDEEP). Topics covered include wave energy motion, technology used to convert waves to energy, and much more! Watch the recording here and access the slides here.

 

01/17/24 - 9:00am MT/11:00am ET - This one hour DEEC-Tec 2.0 webinar will cover topics for Phase II. Learn how your technology concepts can apply this method to convert wave power into grid-scale energy. Watch the recording here and access the slides here.*

 

01/18/24 - 11:00 am MT/1:00 PM ET - This one-hour Patent Development Webinar gave competitors a primer and resources on patent development for deep tech such as DEEC-Tec materials.  Power Connector EFN's patent agent/expert presented this webinar. Have questions about patent development? Sign up for office hours with EFN.

 

01/24/24 - 9:00am MT/11:00am ET - This one hour Innovation Methods 2.0 webinar will be geared towards phase II where you'll learn more about the innovation methods that need to be applied to your submitted concepts. Watch the recording here and access the slides here.* 

 

01/31/24 - 9:00am MT/11:00am ET - This one hour TPL Assessment 2.0 webinar will cover the tool that will help assess your submitted concepts to complete at Phase II of the challenge. Watch the recording here and access the slides here.*

 

02/27/24 - 10:00am MT/12:00pm ET - This one hour webinar gave competitors a primer on commercialization strategy and planning. Power Connector, EFN's guest expert covered topics such as forming a company, IP, fundraising, business planning, and partnering and development agreements. Have questions about what you can be thinking about now to make sure your technology will be commercializable when the time comes? Sign up for office hours with EFN.

 

02/29/24 - 12:00 MT/2:00pm ET - At the end of Phase II, competitors will be required to attend a virtual meeting with the Prize Administrator demonstrating the testing process and validating the test results in the Test Report and Technical Narrative. In this demonstration webinar the prize administrators roll-played what to expect during a Live Virtual DEEC Demonstration! Watch the recording here.

 

Archive: Phase I Prize Overview Webinars - 

4/12/23 - 9:00am MT/11:00amET - This one hour webinar will cover details about the prize, information on the support to be provided for competitors, and strategies for developing a successful submission package. Watch the recording here and access the slides here.

4/26/23 - 9:00am MT/11:00amET - This one hour webinar will cover wave energy. Watch the recording here and access the slides here.

5/3/23 - 9:00am MT/11:00amET - This one hour webinar will cover DEEC-Tec. Watch the recording here and access the slides here.

5/10/23 - 9:00am MT/11:00amET - This one hour webinar will cover innovation methods.*Watch the recording here and access the slides here.

7/5/23 - 9:00am MT/11:00amET - This one hour webinar will cover TPL Assessment. Watch the recording here and access the slides here.

 

Archive: Phase I Teaming Events - 

5/24/23 - 10:00am MT/12:00pm ET - This webinar will be a virtual teaming strategy and networking session. Watch the recording here and access the slides here.

6/14/23 - 10:00am MT/12:00pm ET - This webinar will focus on team engagement and concept development strategy. Watch the recording here and access the slides here.

 

*Participation in these live activities will contribute to your leaderboard score. Teams will not earn points for these activities prior to completing the initial eligibility confirmation on HeroX.

 

Training Materials