As we throw billions of dollars of public money at energy and finance problems with our fingers crossed, law-makers should think about incentivizing at least some of the solution-seekers. The X-prize has proven that cash rewards are a huge motivator for inventors, entrepreneurs, scientists, and financiers to attempt to solve seemingly impossible problems.

American energy use has increased 200% since 1990, and 40% of that energy consumption occurs in the the home. Statistics like these have mobilized a coalition of public and private institutions to offer prizes to those intrepid souls who can build the next generation of “energy-free” buildings.

The Energy-Free Home Challenge defines an “energy-free home” as a modern building that produces as much energy as it consumes. It must be scalable and within the cost of an average consumer. The prize purse that will go to the team that can make this dream a reality is $20,000,000.

Interesting note in the category of “that’s how the world works”: I tried to Google the “Energy Free Home Challenge” and the top result was their lobbying statistics on Open Secrets ($65,000 in 2008).