The transition to a low-carbon future is turning the economy on its head. All around the world, many sustainable energy start-ups are revolutionising the energy sector. With their innovative ideas, they are helping to blaze a trail towards a sustainable energy future and making an important contribution to a successful change of energy policy worldwide.
Eight Sustainable Energy Start-ups and their innovative ideas:
Tower of Power
Energy Vault offers EVx, a system in which a special crane system lifts huge composite blocks to store electricity in the form of mechanical energy. The system can be built in 10 MWh increments – up to a storage capacity of several gigawatt-hours. Both applications with high energy demand and shorter storage (2 – 6 hours) and storage applications with longer duration (6 –12 hours and more) are possible.
Just paper and enzymes
BeFC has developed an ultra-thin, flexible, and paper-based bioenzymatic fuel cell. It uses enzymes to convert glucose from sugar and oxygen from the air into electricity. The bioenzymatic fuel cells generate several milliwatts per square centimetre – enough electricity for sensors and wireless transmitters – and typically last for anywhere between several days and several weeks, depending on the application concerned.
Sustainable solar-cell production
HighLine Technology is commercialising a new method where metal contacts are applied contact-free to the front of a solar cell in a dispensing procedure. The consumption of expensive silver is reduced by around 20 per cent, the contacts are made thinner, and the electricity yield is increased. This increases efficiency by around one per cent in relative terms.
Portable mains power with zero emissions
Instagrid’s portable power supply system is the most powerful of its kind in the world, so the manufacturer claims: the battery system supplies grid-quality electricity despite weighing in at just 20 kilos. Thanks to the system’s extremely high peak output (18,000 watts) and robust design (protection class IP54+), it can supply any tool with electricity and essentially be used anywhere, regardless of location.
Air used for power storage
Phelas’ large-scale, standardised, and mass-produced electricity storage system is based on a proprietary approach for storing energy in liquid air. It uses universally available air as its storage medium. Readily available materials such as gravel are used for thermal storage. The technology offers a cost benefit for large amounts of energy with high cycle stability at the same time.
Fully charged in five minutes
StoreDot is a pioneer in the field of XFC (extreme fast charging) batteries. The company has revolutionised conventional lithium-ion batteries by developing and synthesising proprietary organic and inorganic compounds. This enables the production of batteries that can fully charge an electric vehicle in just five minutes.
Renewable energy for developing countries
Ecoligo finances solar-power projects in emerging economies through the ecoligo.investments crowdinvesting platform. This enables private investors to invest in renewable energy while supporting local economic development in developing countries and emerging economies as well as fighting climate change. So far, the solar-as-a-service concept has been rolled out in East and West Africa, Central America, and South-East Asia.
A circular economy for batteries
Circunomics wants to open up a circular economy for batteries with an open-access big-data marketplace for battery data, cells, and recycling. The start-up supplies lifecycle and price algorithms alongside standardised data interfaces and brings together industry partners from all stages of the battery supply chain. The goal is to maximise the resale value of batteries and reduce recycling costs.