In Gillette, Wyoming, the self-declared energy capital of the nation since the 1960s, a community faces another chaotic coal bankruptcy, leaving miners without jobs and, for many, a question of whether to stick around. It’s the latest chapter of a well-known story: the decline of coal.

With a fundamental economic piece on the rocks, state leaders are forced to find answers to solve both a community’s problems and their own. For now, over a decade, leaders have increasingly invested time and energy into an answer to the “what’s next” question: becoming a hub for a thing called carbon capture. One of the first moves to jumpstart the nascent industry: host an international carbon capture competition. In Part 1 of this story, we also meet our main character.

The finalists' confidence begins to crack as they're faced with the reality of setting up demonstrations in just a few months. How do their challenges stack up to those industry-wide? Also, we learn Jason and Dimensional Energy may be at more of a disadvantage than we even realized.

It's the summer of 2019. Two more coal companies have filed for bankruptcy, and hundreds of workers are left in the lurch. Meanwhile, Jason Salfi is relieved to find out the Carbon XPRIZE has been delayed. But, how does Jason's drive for this technology square with Wyoming's own? Has he faced any struggles that would help him empathize with coal country’s sense of loss?

Dimensional Energy is at a crossroads with the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE: can they afford to stay in? Their situation raises larger questions about the value of grand challenges. It turns out, not everyone is on board with prize competitions as a strategy to move technology forward.