Stop Global Warming

One Energy Question Will Win Fame, $25,000, and Maybe a Solution

by Emily Gertz

Published November 19, 2008 @ 02:49PM PST

133 entered, but only 3 are left. Three problems in energy efficiency or storage in search of solutions, all finalists in the X-Prize Foundation's contest to find the goal for a future competition focused on energy and the environment.

And while the three finalists were picked by an expert panel, the foundation is double-dipping into the wisdom of crowds by asking the public to vote  by Nov. 30 in order to pick the winner.

"We sponsored this contest because we think the world is full of great ideas from people who don't have a way to share them," said Lee Stein, Chairman and Founder of Prize Capital, LLC, in a statement. "By offering a prize, we provided a platform to share and surface innovative ideas. We hope this is the first of many prize winning checks Prize Capital will be awarding for smart energy ideas. After seeing the finalist videos, I'll be happy to hand any of them a check for $25,000."

The purse for solving the winning problem in the future X-Prize competition has not been announced -- but it's likely to be fat, as that contest will be part of a suite of environment and energy-related competitions worth as much as $100 million, according to the foundation. In 2004, a team led by Burt Rutan won $10 million from the foundation for building and flying the first private spaceship into suborbital space.  It's the only X-Prize awarded to date.

All three finalist videos after the jump. Vote for a winner at www.xprize.org/crazy-green-idea. All 133 entries are still up on YouTube -- did the right three make it to the final round?

Jonathan Dreher, from Cambridge, MA: “Energy X PRIZE: Reduce Home Energy Usage”
A prize to reduce the home energy consumption of American communities.

Alan Silva, from Roy, UT: “The Energy Independence X PRIZE”
A prize to develop energy-independent homes that exist completely off the grid.

Kyle Good, from Irvine, CA: “The Capacitor Challenge”
A prize to develop a new storage medium, an “ultra-capacitor.”

Comments

  1. Alan Silva

    Howdy Emily,
    This is Alan Silva. I am one of the finalists in the xprize challenge. I wanted to thank you for convering this important story. I also wanted to add a stump for my idea. Here are some thoughts:

    The Energy Independence XPrize is the idea that will affect the greatest number of people around the world and help solve the most pressing and important issues of our time.

    Energy is the life blood of the world. Our progress as a society rises and falls on our ability to effectively and safely create and use energy. This is the most revolutionary Xprize idea because it provides 3 fundamental benefits:

    1. Energy Independence: The ability to create and produce large amounts of energy in a confined space will not only directly benefit the average family (in this case in their monthly budget by creating a completely energy independent home), but open the door to many areas, including but not limited to:

    A. Community and Cities: The blackouts that so plaque large cities like Los Angeles (and cost billions in lost productivity) will become a thing of the past as the technologies developed from this Xprize are expanded to cover larger and larger areas.

    B. 3rd world development: Communities in 3rd world countries that currently do not have access to power due to infrastructure and transmission costs will, through this Xprize, be able to develop and grow in ways that will benefit millions around the world.

    C. So many other benefits: If each home had an independent supply of power, how much easier would it be to create and sell electric cars? How much pollution would that reduce? The potential benefits are staggering!

    2. Safeguard against the effects of Natural Disasters and Terrorism: In this age where terrorism and natural disasters are now commonplace worries, having decentralized power is not only critical for national security, but to the social and financial health of all nations. When hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, one of the worst problems was that when the centralized power grid went down, it shut down all the water filtration stations, water pumps and hospitals in the city. If every pumping station, hospital, and home in the future is individually powered, it will make a huge difference in the outcome of these disasters.

    3. 20% Reduction in Nationwide pollution levels: Balancing the effects of pollution and Energy creation is an issue that affects us all. The United States has been hesitant to enter into the 1997 Kyoto agreement in large part because the 33 percent reduction in pollution levels would have directly affected the economy. Residential pollution accounts of over 20% of the nations’ pollution level. An Xprize that helps to eliminate this is something that needs to be taken seriously.

    When Spaceship One crossed the threshold of space, we saw a small company do two things that many thought could not be done. We saw a quantum leap in both technology and cost reduction in a field that badly needed both. This Xprize will create leaps in technologies that control Energy Creation, Storage and Transmission. Vote for the Energy Independence Xprize and make a difference that will ultimately affect you, your family, your community and the world!

    Alan Silva

    Posted by Alan Silva on 11/20/2008 @ 10:52AM PST

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  2. Emily Gertz

    Welcome to the Stop Global Warming Blog, Alan.  Thanks for expanding on your XPrize pitch.  
    Do you assume that competitors would rely on clean energy generation to create the off-the-grid home?  In your pitch, you say that any technology is acceptable.

    Posted by Emily Gertz on 11/20/2008 @ 06:06PM PST

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  3. Alan Silva

    Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} The only truly feasible technology that will allow a home to be TRULY off the grid will have to be alternative. If you try to use a coal, Natural gas or petroleum based technology, you will still be required to build the infrastructure to support that. If you are living out in a village in Ethiopia, you are not going to have access to that type of infrastructure. The essence of this xprize is to provide a high level of energy in a compact and affordable form. It must be duplicatable anywhere in the world. I want this xprize to be revolutionary in its ability to reach those most in need! Make sure you vote!

    Posted by Alan Silva on 11/20/2008 @ 07:53PM PST

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Emily Gertz Emily Gertz
New York, NY

Emily is a journalist and editor covering the environment and science, and has been working in online news, community and content since 1994.

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