U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Energy Department Launches 2nd Round of Energy Storage Innovations Prize

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Electricity (OE) today (Nov 25) announced the launch of the Energy Storage Innovations Prize Round 2. This one-phase competition is a call for new, innovative, and promising energy storage solutions to address niche markets and to grow a community of energy storage innovators.  

DOE is committed to investing in innovations that deliver benefits to the American public and lead to commercialization of technologies and products that foster sustainable, resilient, and equitable access to energy. Round 2 builds on the success of the first Energy Storage Innovations Prize. This round focuses on less conventional use cases (e.g., remote and/or underserved communities, extreme climates) and innovative (less mature) energy storage technology solutions, across all duration scales, to advance the market landscape. Round 2 will also inform DOE's strategy on transformative energy storage technologies to accelerate grid modernization for all consumers. 

"The Energy Storage Innovations Prize platform provides a unique opportunity to learn about different solution approaches to meet energy storage needs," Caitlin Callaghan, Director of Storage Materials & Systems within OE. "We're excited to expand the solution set to address less conventional use cases through a second round of the prize, and to we continue to connect a community of innovators addressing energy storage challenges."  

This $300,000 prize invites individuals, academia, non-federal government entities, small businesses, start-ups, entrepreneurs, and other inventors in the U.S. working on nascent or emerging energy storage innovations that address less conventional use cases to submit their energy storage solutions. Up to five Storage Innovations Champions will receive a $50,000 cash prize each and up to five additional Storage Innovations Finalists will receive a $10,000 cash prize each.  

The Energy Storage Innovations Prize Round 2 closes on April 20, 2025. Learn more about this competition, including key dates and submission details on HeroX, the official prize platform.  

Since the American-Made Challenges prize program launched in 2018, DOE has awarded more than $400 million in cash prizes and incentives to competitors in more than 70 prizes spanning solar, water, geothermal, buildings, hydrogen, energy storage, transportation, technology transitions, manufacturing, and more. 

Learn more about OE.