While others talk about the need to change our nation’s energy habits, GE is committing resources to find the best ideas and build a better energy grid.
GE and its partners announce the GE ecomagination Challenge: Powering the Grid, a $200 million investment in finding the best technologies, processes and business models to bring our energy grid into the 21st century. It’s about making clean energy real, bringing to market what works, right now.
In looking for the best ideas, GE is asking you to get involved in finding the solution.
You can submit an idea or vote for the ideas that you think are the most promising and play a part in defining the future of our energy grid.
There are three separate challenges to address how we create, connect and use energy, focused on: renewable energy, grid efficiency and eco homes/eco buildings.
Challenge 1: Create Power – Renewables.
Renewable energy holds extraordinary potential for helping us create the energy to meet our growing needs. But many forms of renewable energy are highly variable in their output. A more intelligent grid would integrate and manage renewable energy sources, helping ensure a steady supply of safe, reliable power.
Making the best use of the energy created by renewable resources is critical to a reliable supply of affordable energy. This challenge asks, “What kinds of technologies or processes do you think will maximize the penetration of renewables into the grid?”
Challenge 2: Connect Power – Grid Efficiency.
The U.S. energy grid is outdated and inefficient. The grid wastes energy at every point during every day. The solution is to connect everyone to a more intelligent and more efficient grid.
This challenge aims to find technologies that lower delivery losses, and anticipate/monitor demand, freeing up grid capacity, and protecting consumers from steep rate increases. The question for this challenge is, “What technology, processes and policy, are the best means to help us realize greater gains in grid efficiency and outage management?”
Challenge 3: Use Power – Eco Homes/Eco Buildings.
Energy consumption is growing so quickly that it’s creating an imbalance between demand and supply, leading to higher energy costs for consumers and businesses.
The focus of this challenge is on technologies such as smart meters and appliances that let consumers’ appliances “talk” to their power utility, as well as renewable integration tools, neighborhood micro grids and much more. These technologies help power companies and their customers share information and manage their energy use better. The third challenge asks, “What new technologies, processes or business models can help consumers use energy more wisely and improve our energy balance?”
The rewards of being selected by the challenge judges may include grants, fellowships, an equity investment or the opportunity to develop a commercial relationship with GE.
GE brings the ability to leverage its considerable technical infrastructure, accelerating technology and product development, and utilizing existing GE customer relationships for an efficient go-to-market strategy. Selected entries could see their ideas reach all around the world.
Are you the next Edison? Submit your idea to the ecomagination Challenge at ecomagination.com/challenge. See what you can do to change the world.
