WHAT:
The Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy at the University of Utah announces that Solidec is the winner of the $250,000 Wilkes Climate Innovation Prize for 2026.
Solidec develops autonomous, on-site chemical generators that produce essential chemicals using air, water and electricity. Its technology gives businesses greater control over chemical supply chains while reducing storage, transportation, waste and carbon emissions. Its initial focus is hydrogen peroxide, with a platform capable of producing additional chemicals including formic acid, acetic acid and syngas.
“Winning the Wilkes Climate Innovation Prize means a great deal to our team, and we are thrilled to join the Wilkes community,” said Ryan DuChanois, Founder and CEO of Solidec. “The award will help us deploy our chemical generation systems with our early customers, producing low-carbon chemicals on site for buyers who currently have them trucked in.”
The 2026 Wilkes Climate Innovation Prize supports top global ideas for combating climate change. Beyond awarding a single winner each year, the Wilkes Center is building an “innovation ecosystem” to support high-potential solutions poised to make measurable progress toward real-world, practical solutions.
Solidec was selected from nine finalists out of 504 total submissions. An interactive world map shows where the applications originated.
The Wilkes Center is recognizing Gyre Energy and WoodSyn as runners up for the prize, and awarding FABUMIN an honorable mention.
Gyre Energy combines physics-based AI, thermal energy storage and automated controls to reduce cooling costs and energy consumption for cold storage, data centers and buildings. WoodSyn develops biogenic construction composites that use wood-wool cement technology to transform restoration timber into durable, carbon-storing building materials. FABUMIN is a circular food-tech company that transforms legume cooking water, or aquafaba, into a functional plant-based powder that can replace egg ingredients in applications and reduce water waste, costs and environmental impacts.
The Wilkes Prize supports solutions with potential impact but uncertainty remains significant and traditional funding or adoption pathways are limited. Eligible solutions can be technological, policy-driven, operational, financial or hybrid.
A panel of expert judges evaluated finalists on climate-system impact and relevance; plausibility and clarity; differentiation and quality of insight; clear co-benefits; and team expertise and organizational capability.
WHEN:
Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026
5 p.m. US Mountain Time / 7 p.m. US Eastern Time
Yang Xia, Founder and CTO of Solidec, and Fielding Norton, managing director of the Wilkes Center, can be available for in-person interviews at the Explorer’s Club (NYC) or virtually upon request.
WHERE:
In-person event (New York City)
Explorer’s Club
46 E 70th Street, NY, NY 10021
https://www.explorers.org/calendar-of-events/climate-week-2026-wednesday/
Watch Party at the Wilkes Center (Salt Lake City)
L. S. Skaggs Applied Science Building, Suite W1204
275 S University Street,
Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112
https://wilkescenter.utah.edu/speaker/prize-announcement-watch-party/
PARKING:
Free parking at the University of Utah will be available on Presidents Circle and Lot 2.