Created illustration with lights representing electricity flowing over large rocky shoreline and water
Automated Maintenance of Protection Systems (AMPS) Challenge
Launched: March 17, 2021
Awarded: August 11, 2022Awards: $250,000 in total prize
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE COMPETITION
NEWS RELEASE: Reclamation awards $150,000 to winners of AMPS Challenge improving reliability in hydropower plant
After the August 2003 blackout, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) developed comprehensive reliability standards including testing requirements to prevent another large power outage. Currently, these testing protocols are labor-intensive and often require the plant to be off-line to complete. The AMPS Challenge seeks to automate protection systems testing, eliminate outages necessary to accomplish the testing, and improve hydropower plant reliability.
The AMPS Challenge will have two phases - a white paper and a prototype phase. Solvers will deliver a white paper submission describing their technical approach to the problem. Up to ten solvers will be selected to receive a prize and continue in the prototype phase. Solvers will then develop their prototypes and share design details for evaluation. Up to five prototypes will be selected for testing at Western Area Power Administration’s Electric Power Training Center in Colorado.
Reclamation is partnering with the Western Area Power Administration, Bonneville Power Administration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, NASA Tournament Lab, Freelancer.com and Arrow Electronics on this prize competition.
3/20/21: Reclamation launches prize competition to improve reliability in hydropower facilities
May 2022: AMPS Challenge Update Fact Sheet
