Since May, Solar Prize finalists have been working on advancing their award-winning solar solutions in the hopes of winning $500,000 at Go! Demo Day next week. Today, we’re spotlighting finalists Electra and Illumination Solar Training.
Team Electra, a Round 7 finalist from Bellingham, Washington, is giving retired solar panels new life and saving them from landfills with their digital network for solar panel recycling. Electra’s platform establishes a panel registry and stewardship network to optimize the recycling process and reduce waste.
The registry and network connect a system of recyclers, haulers, collectors, and other entities to route retired solar panels to reuse locations or recycling facilities instead of the landfill. By solving for collection and logistics challenges, Electra’s technology will help build a comprehensive, cost-efficient system for solar recycling in the U.S. Learn more about Team Electra’s Solar Prize submission.
Illumination Solar Training, a Round 7 finalist and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Contest winner, is bridging the solar skills gap with their Solar Prize innovation. Their team is developing portable, interactive solar training labs that provide affordable, hands-on solar training for communities and colleges.
The growing demand for solar requires a well-trained workforce, and Illumination Solar Training’s mobile labs enable training organizations to deliver in-depth, experiential solar training to students to build the next generation of solar workers. The labs include the relevant equipment and training concepts for both grid-tied and off-grid systems, and their portability makes it possible to bring this real-world learning directly to communities who wouldn’t otherwise have access to solar training and equipment. Learn more about Illumination Solar Training’s innovation.
Watch Illumination Solar Training's Set! submission video.
Stay tuned to find out if either of these teams become grand prize winners at Go! Demo Day in September!
