DETROIT – DTE Energy announced Monday a new program, the DTE “E” Challenge for Innovation in Energy Efficiency, which awards up to $250,000 commercial and light industrial customers that create energy efficient improvements.

DTE Energy is looking for innovators with an outstanding energy efficiency product that will have a huge impact on energy savings and continue to promote energy savings now and into the future.

Initial entries will require submission by June 29, 2012 and will be pre-qualified for a second phase of judging that is detailed below. Once the second round of judging is complete, up to $250,000 will be awarded to successful applicant(s) to create the demonstration for their innovation. Submissions will be audited though out the demonstration process. DTE Energy reserves the right either to award more than one entrant or to award no entrant. Upon completion of the demonstration period (November 2012-April 2013, details listed below), the winning project will be determined, and the most successful participant will be announced and awarded a plaque at the 2013 DTE/ESD Energy Conference.

Eligibility Requirements

DTE Energy is looking for a commercially available energy saving product, material, system, structure, process or methodology that is innovative in application or use, including but not limited to inventions, is eligible within the following parameters.

The product must show energy savings and save electrical or natural gas energy. The submission must include, in their documentation, proof of concept with supporting data.

Prospective measures that have been, or are currently, “rebate qualified” for DTE may not be considered for this challenge. Light bulb technologies cannot be considered for this challenge.

The product can apply to light industrial or commercial use.

The company can be located anywhere but the demonstration site must be in DTE service territory and DTE must consent to the final site selection.

The innovation should be a new technology or an existing technology applied in a different way.

The innovation cannot be a battery pack. Strategies that would not be considered include but are not limited to renewables, energy storage technology, load diversity shifts, distributed generation, or fuel switching.

Submission Requirements

Applicants may submit any product, material, system, structure, process or methodology that is innovative in showing energy savings in its application or use. Please write a maximum 1,000-word essay describing the application, addressing the criteria listed below in the order as it is listed.

Describe impact on energy use.

Describe the type of businesses or organizations this innovation benefits.

Describe expected economic impact.

Show proof of concept with supporting data, including bench scale or simulation results.

Describe potential impact on the environment.

Describe how this innovation is creative and unique as compared to similar applications.

Describe the innovation’s current phase of development and when it could be put into active, practical use.

Supporting data such as peer review, publications or reports, and patents, may be submitted as part of an appendix.

Of course, legal rules of intellectual property & indemnification apply. You agree to all of these rules with your application.

Entry Procedures/Judging

Electronic entry is preferred. If you choose to mail hard copies, please contact ESD for mailing information and requirements (contact: Tim Walker, CMP, at [email protected], or 248-353-0735, ext. 115). For questions, please e-mail [email protected], and it will be answered in a timely manner.

Submission Form

Please download and complete this

form and return it with your submission materials to

The Engineering Society of Detroit, 20700 Civic Center Drive, Suite 450, Southfield, Michigan 48076

. Materials and questions may be directed to

Tim Walker, CMP at 248-353-0735, ext. 115 to or

[email protected]. Entries must be postmarked or date stamped on or before Friday, June 29, 2012. For hand-delivered entries, please note that ESD Headquarters closes at 5 p.m.

If you are submitting more than one project, please use separate entry forms. Confidentiality of proprietary information will be maintained and respected.

For more information, click on ESD.Org

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