Clean Power for Hours Challenge

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) seeks innovative backup power solutions to help critical facilities operate during electrical outages.

Clean power for hours prize challenge – title poster. Image credit: Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

Winning solutions will be affordable, easy-to-use, and environmentally friendly power sources that can provide on-site power generation for critical facilities that provide essential services to communities across the United States.

This Challenge is seeking to identify and catalyze existing cutting-edge technologies with a Technical Readiness Level (TRL) of 6 or higher that can be used to continue essential facility operations in the event of a power failure or disruption lasting more than 36-hours. TRL refers to the method for determining the maturity of technology.  

This Challenge is part of the DHS effort to implement a proactive approach to climate change adaptation and resilience. 

Clean power, clean energy – illustrative photo. Image credit: Colin Watts via Unsplash, free license

This is the second in a series of DHS prize competitions to address hazards posed by climate change. It will support DHS’s mission on climate change resilience and adaptation, and work with the energy sector and other critical infrastructure owners and operators to find solutions for back-up power generation during a disaster.

Most Americans may not think of critical infrastructure on a regular basis—that is, until it is not working.  A power outage during a storm or limited access to healthcare facilities after a ransomware attack are real life reminders of the role critical infrastructure plays in daily lives.  

Keeping the nation’s critical infrastructure and functions safe and secure is important to our national security, economy, and overall way of life. Spanning everything from telecommunications and chemical facilities to local healthcare providers and financial institutions and much more. 

Critical infrastructure is the backbone of many essential services, and all infrastructure is dependent on power to function well. Critical infrastructure and its supporting systems keep our country and our economy running.

Much goes into securing our critical infrastructure and understanding the impacts of climate change is a major consideration. One of the key components is ensuring that institutions, or essential community service provider facilities continue to operate even during a power disruption. 

Promoting national resilience against the many threats associated with climate change is a DHS priority. Climate change will increase the likelihood of power outages nationwide. Depending on what type of facilities experience a power outage, the implications of a power failure can endanger lives and safety of Americans. 

Critical facilities that support community essential services often rely solely on electricity for power and lack adequate on-site power generation and energy storage to operate during a power outage.

Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 8:00 p.m. EDT, August 8, 2023.

Source: Challenge.gov

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