New Prize to Increase Visibility of Distributed Solar Energy Generation

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) announced the American-Made Data-Driven Distributed (3D) Solar Visibility Prize, which is designed to incentivize innovators to develop models and algorithms that can provide accurate and real-time information about distributed solar generation in electric power distribution networks. The prize seeks to promote awareness and adoption of distribution system state estimation (DSSE) algorithms and software tools to improve the visibility of distribution systems and their operating conditions. Having near real-time data on distribution networks allows utilities and grid operators to make better operational decisions and optimize distributed energy resources like solar energy.

Competitors will develop a tool to perform calculations using DOE-provided synthetic measurement data and will submit their DSSE tool results for two distribution system networks for 14 consecutive days. DSSE tools will be tested and judged through the Open Energy Data Initiative for Solar Systems Integration (OEDI SI) platform, a SETO-funded, open-source, cloud-based web portal platform. The prize aims to accelerate the adoption of the OEDI SI platform among grid operators. DSSE performance will be compared to a set of industry standard metrics to select the top-performing teams. 

The 3D Solar Visibility Prize is open to U.S.-based for-profit and nonprofit private entities, academic institutions, and nonfederal government entities, such as states, counties, Tribes, and municipalities. The prize builds on the American-Made Solar Forecasting Prize, which incentivized solar forecast providers to develop and potentially commercialize tools that generate probabilistic forecasts of solar irradiance, and the American-Made Net Load Forecasting Prize, which aimed to increase adoption of the state of the art in net load forecasting.

The 3D Solar Visibility Prize offers up to $175,000 total in cash prizes for up to five competitors: two winners and three runners-up. Application materials are due July 10. Read the prize rules, register to compete.