The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Electricity has launched the third round of the Digitizing Utilities Prize, offering $2.5 million in funding to support technology development partnerships that improve digital systems, data analytics, and risk-informed resource integration within the electric sector. This prize aims to encourage interdisciplinary collaborations between utilities, energy sector partners, software developers, and data experts to address challenges posed by the increasing volume and complexity of grid-related data. The initiative builds on the success of previous rounds and seeks to enhance the resilience and reliability of the electrical grid.

Utilities today face significant challenges due to large-scale data streams from diverse sources, including advanced sensors, weather data, and topographical information. Existing analytics products often lack domain-specific expertise in electricity grid management. To address this gap, DOE encourages utility stakeholders to develop and implement advanced data management solutions, ensuring improved reliability and integration of renewable energy sources. Successful projects may involve data quality assurance, storage, deletion processes, and the development of analytics pipelines.

The prize is structured into two tracks with multiple phases. Track 1, "Resource Integration Under Uncertainty," focuses on improving energy resource utilization and system planning through uncertainty characterization. Teams in this track must partner with an energy sector entity and propose systematic approaches to address these challenges. Up to eight winners from the first phase will receive $75,000 each, with up to three advancing teams securing an additional $200,000. Track 2, "Sensors and Datasets for Integration of Inverter-Based Resources and Large Loads," emphasizes the use of advanced grid-sensing technologies. Winning teams in this track will receive the same funding structure as Track 1.

A bonus prize is available for projects addressing extreme weather and other disruptive events, such as wildfires, hurricanes, and compound climate events. Proposals that incorporate multi-scale and multi-variable risk analysis are particularly encouraged. The winning teams will contribute to public repositories like the Grid Event Signature Library and Open Energy Data Initiative.

Eligible applicants include private entities (both for-profit and nonprofit), non-federal government entities such as states, counties, tribes, and municipalities, and academic institutions. Competitors can only submit one proposal per track but may submit different solutions to multiple tracks. Multiple submissions from the same institution are allowed, provided they do not include overlapping team members.

Applications must be submitted according to the specific timelines outlined in the official rules document. Teams should establish partnerships with U.S.-based energy sector entities, including rural electric cooperatives, investor-owned utilities, transmission operators, and municipal utility providers. Finalists will be awarded funding based on their ability to demonstrate scalable and applicable solutions for the broader energy sector. Further details regarding the submission process, evaluation criteria, and award disbursement can be found in the official rules document.