Colorado students joined a Google hackathon to tackle energy grid challenges.

John Tribbia

Senior Staff Data Scientist

Oct 29, 2026

We held the second annual Colorado Impact Hackathon at our Boulder offices, in partnership with CU Boulder and the Colorado Energy Office.

Participating students tackled a crucial challenge: How can we create a clean, secure, and resilient electric grid in Colorado? The winning projects addressed this head on:

  • First place: SolarSnap, an AI app that helps homeowners find the ideal setup for solar panels using their phone’s camera
  • Second place: Grid Watch, an AI-managed battery network designed to keep power on during wildfire shutoffs while reducing electricity costs.
  • Third place: Grid Guard, providing predictive capabilities for targeted grid hardening

At the event, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and CU Boulder Vice Chancellor for Sustainability Andrew Mayock highlighted the importance of bold innovation to shape Colorado’s clean energy future.

From mitigating wildfire risks to tackling energy backlogs, events like these demonstrate how collaboration between students, public leaders, and technologists can drive meaningful change for Colorado.

Six people posing for a group photo in front of a wood-paneled wall with a large black 'Google' logo. The group includes five student hackathon participants and their Google Guide Sarah Bonnet in the center back, all smiling.

The students from the winning team, SolarSnap, with their Google Guide Sarah Bonnet.

Six state and institutional leaders standing together shoulder-to-shoulder, smiling warmly. From left to right: Brin Enterkin (laughing enthusiastically), a female colleague, Phil Weiser in a blue suit jacket, a male colleague in a CU Boulder zip-up, and two female colleagues.

Brin Enterkin (Impact Hackathon Lead @ Google), Megan Christensen (State of Colorado Energy Office), Phil Weiser (Colorado Attorney General), Erick Mueller (CU Head of Entrepreneurship & Innovation), Betsy Klein (Associate Director of CU Deming Center for Entrepreneurship), Beth Hartmen (Director of CU External Engagement in Sustainability)

A cheerful, wide-angle selfie taken by Brin Enterkin (laughing in the bottom-right foreground) alongside Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser (smiling in the bottom-left foreground). Behind them, a large classroom-style room is filled with sitting students smiling, waving, and cheering for the camera.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and Brin Enterkin pause for a quick selfie after his closing keynote.

A group of students sitting around a long, light-wood conference table in a modern meeting room, working intensely on their laptops, writing notes, and discussing clean energy projects. A large presentation screen is mounted on the wall in the background.

Students get to experience being a Googler for a day by hacking away at hard problems.

Andrew Mayock, standing at the front of a large presentation room with vibrant green-paneled acoustic walls, presents to an audience of students. Two projection screens flank him, displaying a slide titled "Vice Chancellor for Sustainability, CU Boulder Andrew Mayock" alongside his headshot. Many students in the audience have their hands raised.

Andrew Mayock, Vice Chancellor of Sustainability at CU Boulder, kicked off the day with an inspiring opening keynote.

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