Duke students, apply for the 2022 Clean Energy Prize by July 15

The recently merged Duke University Energy Initiative and Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, together with the Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E), announce the return of the $10,000 Clean Energy Prize to spur student-led development of energy technologies, products, and services at Duke. 

The Prize invites all current Duke University students and May 2022 graduates to propose innovative projects that could lead to new products or services that will advance a clean energy future. This could mean demonstrating the feasibility of an idea or innovation for a commercial or social venture; developing a working software, service, or device prototype; or developing new applications or markets for a technology in development. 

"As we confront the climate crisis and its impacts, securing a clean energy future is more critical than ever," said Dr. Brian Murray, interim director of the Energy Initiative and Nicholas Institute and a faculty member at the Nicholas School of the Environment and Sanford School of Public Policy. "The Clean Energy Prize spurs Duke University students to pursue creative solutions that could help transform global energy systems." 

The 2021 Clean Energy Prize went to Pratt School of Engineering Ph.D. student Michael Valerino, leader of a Duke team developing an interactive, data-driven platform to reduce solar energy losses caused by dust. (Get an update on the team's work and resulting new company, Solar Unsoiled.)  

Other past recipients of the Clean Energy Prize include Arsheen Allam MBA '17 and Towqir Aziz MA '18, who received the prize in 2018 for GOLeafe, which developed a new production process for graphene, a promising nanomaterial with potential applications in solar energy production and energy storage. Allam, a Forbes "30 Under 30 in Energy" honoree, is currently part of the fifth cohort of Chain Reaction Innovations, the U.S. Department of Energy's elite entrepreneurship program at Argonne National Laboratory. (Learn more about Allam.) 

The deadline for submissions is 11:59 pm EDT on Friday, July 15, 2022. For complete details and application instructions, download the Request For Applications.

Questions? Contact Suellen Aldina, director of engagement and administration at the Energy Initiative and Nicholas Institute.