AMERICAN-MADE
SOLAR PRIZE ROUND 8

The American-Made Solar Prize is a nationwide initiative by the United States Department of Energy to jump-start the commercialization of U.S.-based solar innovations via financial incentives and access to the American-Made Network of laboratories, incubators, investors, and other support facilities.

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Hidden-Fastener Solar Mount was among over 150 solar industry innovations submitted to expert reviewers from the Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) and National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the Ready Phase of Solar Prize Round 8. Martin Solar & H.F.S.M. made the cut, selected as one of 20 semi-finalists to receive a $50,000 prize, and continue competing in the Set Phase.

 

Finalists selected from the current Set Phase will receive $100,000 in additional funding, an additional $90,000 voucher for use at a National Laboratory, and the opportunity to present at RE+ 2025, in Las Vegas. RE+ is the world's largest annual renewable energy exposition. Finalists are anticipated to be announced on June 20, 2025.

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Should Martin Solar advance to the next phase, it aims to work with National Laboratories to study technical variations in various rooftop solar mounting mechanisms in order to determine common modes of failure. According to that insight, new industry standards and certifications may be developed in order to better predict long-term performance of solar mounting hardware, and accurately prepare home and business owners for what amount of short/medium/long term maintenance should be required according to the various solar mounting systems available. Finally, as rooftop solar is often touted as a means to protect a roof from direct exposure to the elements, Martin Solar wishes to determine how long the lifetime of a roof may be extended by solar protection in an ideal scenario.