DOE Opens Stage 2 of Conductor Manufacturing Prize
WASHINGTON—The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is opening Stage 2 of the “Conductivity-Enhanced Materials for Affordable, Breakthrough Leapfrog Electric and Thermal Applications Conductor” Manufacturing Prize. This three-stage competition will award up to $4.5 million to accelerate the development of affordable, manufacturable materials that conduct electricity more efficiently than existing materials.
In Stage 1, teams submitted breakthrough concepts for more conductive materials that could be used for both electrical and thermal energy applications. Stage 2 will award up to $1.8 million to support electrical conductivity testing—requiring teams to produce a sample of their material for evaluation by approved testing labs. Stage 2 competitors will also prepare preliminary commercialization plans to scale-up and manufacture their materials.