SETO announced the winners of the American-Made Solar Photo Competition: Hit Me with Your Sun Shot. Photographers submitted awe-inspiring photos showcasing solar energy technologies, infrastructure, and research and development activities.
Solar Energy Technologies Office
August 21, 2024
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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) today announced the 18 winners of the American-Made Solar Photo Competition: Hit Me with Your Sun Shot. Professional and amateur photographers submitted awe-inspiring photos showcasing solar energy technologies, infrastructure, and research and development activities.
"The remarkable photos we received spotlight the innovation and progress in solar technologies, as well as the transformative impact these advancements have had in communities," said Becca Jones-Albertus, SETO Director and Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Renewable Energy. “This artwork serves as a testament to the dedication and vision that have driven the solar industry forward."
DOE received more than 450 submissions from 113 competitors. Judges from SETO and other DOE offices evaluated submissions based on their emotional appeal and impact, composition and content, technical quality, and originality. Based on judging scores, SETO selected two grand prize winners ($2,500 each) in addition to one winner ($1,000 each) and one runner-up ($500 each) for each of the eight photo categories.
The winners are featured in a DOE Flickr album, along with other eligible submissions. These photos are available to the public. If you intend to use the photos, please give credit to the photographer in your caption.
Grand Prize Winners
Photo taken by Jeff West, submitted by Sarah Glover
A few years into the establishment of native prairie vegetation amongst the solar panels, these projects are already full of life.
Brianna Bruce
A jackrabbit stands at attention just beyond the cover of a solar array near Hayward, California.
Solar and Weather Category Winner
First Place: Dylan Sontag
Demonstrating snow shedding by adjusting trackers to a steeper angle, enabling faster site production recovery in Colorado.
Runner-up: David Penalva
A small plant thrives in the arid desert climate of Texas with solar trackers in the background.
Solar Workforce and Installation Category Winner
First Place: Saman Kouretchian
Recent solar installation in Palm Desert, CA.
Runner-up: Craig Fritz
All hands on deck to clean the heliostats the morning before a critical test at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility at Sandia National Lab in Albuquerque, NM.
Concentrating Solar-thermal Power Category Winner
First Place: Craig Fritz
The National Solar Thermal Test Facility arranged the heliostat field for the groundbreaking of the Gen 3 Particle Pilot Plant, with the original solar tower reflected in one of the facets at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM.
Runner-Up: Osdilieva Hinojosa
A CSP plant shines amongst the desert sky at the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility in San Bernardino County, CA.
Research Processes, Solar Technologies in Detail, and Manufacturing Category Winner
First Place: Craig Fritz
Dr. Angelique Montgomery places a perovskite module in a solar simulator at Sandia National Laboratories Photovoltaic System Evaluation Laboratory (PSEL) in Albuquerque, NM.
Runner-Up: John Freidah
Batch-processed perovskite solar cells and faster learning cycles promise to increase PV R&D productivity.
Utility Scale, Commercial Solar, and Grid Integration Category Winner
FIrst Place: Michael Slider
Located in Riverside, CA and using American-made equipment, Intersect Power’s Oberon Facility generates 500 MWac, powers more than 200,000 homes, and includes 250 MW of storage.
Runner-Up: Yung Chen
The 5 MW Orinda Photovoltaic Renewable Energy Project by East Bay Municipal Utility District, located in the scenic hills next to the San Pablo Reservoir in Tilden Regional Park, CA.
Community Solar and Multifamily Housing Category Winner
First Place: Rachel Gentile
A series of solar arrays on an affordable multifamily housing development in Allston, MA.
Runner-Up: Rachel Gentile
Two school buses driving below the community solar array at the Discovery Museum in Acton, MA.
Residential Solar Category Winner
First Place: Quincy Biddle
Solar panels on the rooftops of Massachusetts homes against a backdrop of cumulus clouds.
Runner-Up: Jacob Gross
Residential solar canopy, installed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Agriculture and Solar, Solar in Nature, Solar and Wildlife Category Winner
First Place: Chad Alkire
A bee circles around native pollinator plants used for vegetation management at E.W. Solar Farm in Kentucky.
Runner-Up: Nick de Vries
Resident flock of sheep at Silicon Ranch's Snipesville Ranch project in Jeff Davis County, Georgia.
** Update Aug. 23: Due to a data processing error on the prize administrator’s side, a mistake was made in attributing one of the grand-prize-winning photos. The winning photo was taken by Jeff West and submitted by Sarah Glover. We apologize for the mix-up. Congratulations, again, to all Solar Photo Competition winners! **
View all of the submissions to this year's competition and submissions to the 2017 competition.
Learn more about the Solar Energy Technologies Office.