Congratulations to Winners and Finalists in the 2024 Challenge Season!

Here are the top competitors in the 2024-25 academic year NFTE World Series of Innovation.

Impact League - CBT Technology Solar Innovation Challenge

The Challenge: Design a product/service/solution for public community facilities—such as schools, libraries, community centers, and parks— to harness solar energy for the purpose of enhancing learning environments while reducing operational costs.

Winners

• First Place: , Solar Shade envisions using solar panels as protective covers for cars, especially in areas with extreme weather like Colorado. The panels provide shade from the sun, snow, and rain while also generating solar energy. This solution reduces school or public facility costs by offsetting energy expenses with renewable power, making it both practical and environmentally friendly. Submitted by Silas Sladden (14) from Peak to Peak Charter School in Colorado. See their video here.
• Second Place: , ConnectED Solar is a social enterprise providing solar-powered WiFi hotspots to low-income schools in rural Panama, bridging the digital divide and enabling access to online educational resources. Submitted by Michela Maxera (17) from the International School of Panama.
• Third Place: , ThermoPane is an innovative new universal window that can regulate the temperature of public spaces, reducing energy expenditure for all. Submitted by Anirudh Mazumder (17) from the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science. See their video here.

Finalists

• SolarBloom (Texas, USA), SolarBloom: a culturally aligned, solar-powered energy ecosystem empowering rural Indigenous communities to reduce costs, enhance education, and preserve heritage through resilient, sustainable infrastructure.
• ConnectED Solar, ConnectED Solar is a social enterprise providing solar-powered WiFi hotspots to low-income schools in rural Panama, bridging the digital divide and enabling access to online educational resources.
• Solar Share (Taiwan), Solar Share is a sustainable power charger station that utilizes concentrated solar energy to recharge devices around community infrastructure and recreational areas. While convenience is consumed, our environment is also fully conserved.
• Better Solar (California, USA), BetterSolar combines the power of solar and water energy to provide affordable, sustainable energy solutions for libraries with limited funding.
• ThermoPane (Texas, USA), ThermoPane, an innovative new universal window which can regulate the temperature of public spaces reducing energy expenditure for all.
• SolarVue (California, USA), SolarVue is a renovation company that transforms libraries into flourishing solar-powered buildings
• SolarED (California, USA), A mobile, solar-powered classroom that delivers sustainable, high-quality education to underserved communities while doubling as a community hub for empowerment and skill-building.
• Solar Hot Water (California, USA), FlowPure is a water filtration funnel using eco-friendly materials that will deliver clean, safe, and refreshing water to underprivileged and low-income communities through NGO and humanitarian non-profit distribution.
• Solar Shade (Colorado, USA), A clean and energizing way for schools to feel new.
• Solar Flower (California, USA), Solar Flower is a program teaching the next generation about solar power to show its benefits in a world where electricity prices are increasing, and the environment is declining.