Do you have the next great idea in clean energy? Stevens Institute of Technology student teams are eligible to compete for $200,000 to start their green business with the MIT Clean Energy Prize. The annual competition pits university teams against one another in a multi-stage business competition to change the future of green in one of five categories:

• Deployment
• Energy Efficiency & Infrastructure
• Non-Renewable Energy
• Renewable Energy
• Transportation

Think you have what it takes? Here is how to get started:

Choose your team and plan the next great green business. In February, teams will submit their executive summary and pitch deck. Clean Energy Prize Judges will select 25 business plans, 5 from each category. Selected teams will receive access to mentoring and other CEP resources as they refine their business plans. In May, teams will present their plans to a panel of expert judges at the Clean Energy Prize Showcase. Winning teams from each category receive $15,000, and compete for the $200,000 Grand Prize to be presented in mid-May.

As the Innovation University^TM, Stevens is leading the green revolution with initiatives in sustainability education and research.

Looking for inspiration? Browse Green@Stevens web site for ideas and to learn how you can apply your Stevens education to engineer the next generation of clean technologies to save the environment, create energy security, and provide green jobs at home.

Last year’s winning team was C3Nano, Inc., a Stanford University team that developed a new transparent electrode material that they believe will make photovoltaic solar panels both cheaper and more efficient. The 2009 prize went to the University of Michigan’s Husk Insulation. Category winners in the past have proposed business plans for nanoengineered concrete that can reduce emissions worldwide and is stronger than typical concrete, an algorithm that manages electricity consumption, a new bicycle sharing technology, compression technology for natural gas, and a high-efficiency shrouded wind turbine.

Questions? Visit the archived MIT Clean Energy Prize web site for more information, or e-mail CleanEnergyPrize@MIT.edu for details regarding this year’s competition.