The American-Made Challenges: Solar Desalination Prize is a four-stage, $9 million prize competition, providing an additional $1 million in support, designed to accelerate the development of low-cost desalination systems that use solar-thermal power to produce clean water from salt water. Competitors will receive cash prizes as they advance through each stage of the competition, culminating in a $1 million grand prize for the successful testing and demonstration of a promising solar-thermal desalination system prototype.

The prize was announced September 23, 2019, and launched April 28, 2020. Participants may enter the competition as individuals or teams, but all competitors who advance beyond the first stage must form teams. Competitors may include private companies, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, students, and researchers at National Laboratories.

Overview

To enter the competition, participants must submit their ideas for a solar-thermal desalination component or system prototype, along with a pathway to commercialization. If their ideas are selected, competitors will receive $50,000 in cash, advance to the second phase to form a team, and refine plans for a fully operating solar-thermal desalination system.

The teams selected to advance to the third phase will receive $250,000 in cash and a $100,000 voucher that can be redeemed at a National Laboratory and/or qualified partner facilities to design their systems. While they’re completing detailed designs of their systems in the third phase, teams must also obtain the permitting and approval documentation necessary to build them.

Teams selected to advance to the fourth and final phase of the competition will be awarded a cash prize of $750,000 and another $100,000 voucher. These teams will then build their systems, demonstrate their operation, and validate key performance metrics. The U.S. Department of Energy will determine the winner, who will receive a $1 million cash prize.

Competitors can leverage industry expertise, access private capital, and obtain mentorship and support through the American-Made Network, a group of National Laboratories, incubators, investors, and industry experts. The Network also provides access to local capabilities that will help accelerate the development of their desalination system prototypes.

Timeline

• Innovation: The first phase opened April 28, 2020, and closes July 16, 2020. Competitors will be announced September 24, 2020.

• Teaming: The second phase opens September 24, 2020, and closes January 12, 2021. Teams will be announced March 12, 2021.

• Design: The third phase opens March 12, 2021, and will close when competitors have completed their designs and obtained the required documents, no later than March 12, 2024.

• Test: The fourth phase also opens March 12, 2021. Finalists will have three years to submit their prototype system to compete for the Test prize. Test prize submissions will be evaluated every second Monday in March, starting in 2022. Winners will be determined after visits to their newly built system sites.

Learn More

• Register for informational webinar on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. ET.

• Visit the Solar Desalination Prize website for details on the competition.

• For questions about the Solar Desalination Prize, email challenge@nrel.gov.

The Solar Desalination Prize is administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and is part of the American-Made Challenges.

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