The Energy Transition Institute (ETI) of the University of Houston’s Division of Energy and Innovation will host the finale of its signature Coogs for Energy (CFE) Hackathon, the Spring 2026 edition, on April 10–11, bringing together students, industry leaders and researchers to tackle some of the most urgent challenges in the global energy landscape. bp is the prime sponsor for this event, with supporting sponsorship coming from Arcadis.
Building on the momentum of two highly successful hackathons held in Spring and Fall 2025, the finals of the CFE Spring 2026 hackathon will see 60 students across 10 multidisciplinary teams tasked with developing innovative, real-world solutions over two short, action-packed days. Participants will work closely with leading energy companies, public sector organizations and academic experts, gaining valuable hands-on experience that will prepare them to find solutions to problems at the intersection of technology, sustainability, and business strategy.
“The Coogs for Energy Hackathon continues to demonstrate the power of collaboration between academia and industry,” said Debalina Sengupta, chief operating officer of ETI. “By engaging students directly with real-world challenges, we are preparing the next generation of energy leaders while advancing practical solutions for a rapidly changing energy system.”
As part of the competition, students will develop solutions to challenge statements provided by industry and community partners, refining their approaches over a ten-day period with guidance from subject matter experts. During the final two days of the event, teams will present their top three concepts, create digital or physical prototypes, and deliver a final pitch to a panel of judges for the chance to win cash prizes.
Graphical representation of future EV station prepared by Team Urja Ignite, who worked
on the problem statement
“EV Charging Stations Along the I-10 Corridor" at the Spring 2025 Hackathon
The challenge statements the students will be working to solve this time around reflect the breadth of today’s energy transition priorities. Teams will address topics such as
- Aligning Permian Basin natural gas quality with LNG export specifications (provided by bp)
- Developing a decision-support system for NPV-positive energy optimization in SE Asian oil & gas and heavy industry (provided by Honeywell Process Automation)
- Powering the AI boom: Designing a smarter energy future (provided by Arcadis)
- Remote operations and advanced technologies for energy decentralization (provided by Chevron)
- Mitigating extreme heat from concrete parking lots and sidewalks in Houston (provided by Tricon Energy)
- Decentralized and distributed energy solutions for community resilience (provided by Houston Galveston Area Council)
- Improving plastic waste collection systems to increase recovery and reduce leakage (provided by ETI)
In the two 2025 hackathons, student teams delivered innovative solutions across a range of energy and sustainability challenges. Winning teams distinguished themselves through their breakthrough approaches to carbon management, energy systems optimization, and circular economy strategies, which showed technical rigor as well as commercial viability of the proposed solutions.
Team Net Positive's Physical Prototype on Sustainable Soccer Fields at the Fall 2025 Hackathon
“The level of creativity and professionalism we saw from students in the last hackathon was remarkable and we even instituted three new mentor’s choice awards to applaud their efforts,” Sengupta added. “We expect the Spring 2026 cohort to raise the bar even higher.”
For more information about the Coogs for Energy Hackathon and UH Energy’s programs, click here.