By Shirley Jackson | Alabama NewsCenter
The future of energy was on full display as 10th-grade high school students from across Alabama recently took part in the inaugural Grid Games, an Alabama high school energy hackathon powered by Alabama Power.
Alabama Power’s Strategic Implementation department led the hackathon, partnering with Community Relations and the Alabama Power Foundation. Alabama Power Service Organization volunteers served as pitch coaches and mentors, working alongside the students to refine their ideas and prepare strong presentations.
Built as a collaborative innovation challenge, this day-long, STEM-focused competition drove the development of inspired creative solutions for real-world problems impacting communities and utility providers.
The hackathon supported Alabama Power’s core commitments in these areas:
- STEM Education & Workforce Development: Engages students in energy and technology challenges, building teamwork and innovation skills.
- Innovation & Sustainability: Promotes solutions that reduce energy waste and support clean energy.
- Community Engagement: Strengthens relationships with schools and families.
- Technology & Digital Transformation: Exposes students to tech-driven thinking aligned with Alabama Power’s modernization efforts.
- Inclusion: Expands access to STEM opportunities for diverse students statewide.
Students were tasked with developing an energy-efficient, 400- to 600-square-foot tiny home for a rural Alabama family, balancing climate, comfort and budget constraints.
“We are proud to promote STEM education and provide information about careers in energy,” said Jessica White, project coordinator for Alabama Power. “These impressionable high school 10th-grade students are not just getting to high school, but they’re right there in the middle where they’re starting to think about what they want to do in their future careers. This is a great opportunity to serve as a mentor and to help guide them in the right direction.”
Alabama Power’s six divisions included first round regional competitions from Birmingham, Eastern, Mobile, Southeast, Southern and Western areas of the state between March 31 and April 9.
Division winners received awards and advanced to the April 30 state competition at Alabama Power’s Corporate Headquarters.
The remaining high schools (Citronelle from Mobile Division, Sylacauga from Eastern Division and G.W. Carver from Southern Division) received $500 awards for each of their schools.
“We are beyond excited to have had this opportunity to participate in this new venture with such a great leadership team and amazing volunteers,” said White. “We are looking forward to more hackathon challenges in the future. Until then, we will be using this experience to enhance our ideas and build even stronger concepts.”
Awards were presented to division Grid Games winners at the state competition:
- 1st Place: A.H. Parker High School from Birmingham Division received $5,000.
- 2nd Place: Jasper High School from Western Division received $2,500.
- 3rd Place: Eufaula High School from Southeast Division received $1,500.
