Löfbergs coffee roasting house in Karlstad, Sweden is home to the world’s first large-scale testing facility with SaltX salt-technology solar panels for heating and cooling on the roof of the roasting house. (Photo courtesy SaltX) Posted for media use
By Sunny Lewis
NEW YORK, New York, April 17, 2018 (Maximpact.com News) – The top 10 innovators revolutionizing the energy, transport, and technology sectors were unveiled April 9 at Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s Future of Energy Summit in New York City .
The 2018 New Energy Pioneers, as they are known, are responding to changes and disruption in the energy system, and are pursuing new opportunities in storage, EV charging, digitalization, heat recovery, and blockchain.
By recognizing innovators, Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) aims to highlight and accelerate the transition that is underway in today’s new energy economy, towards new business models, technologies, market structures and commercial opportunities.
An independent panel of industry experts, assisted by BNEF’s analysts and technology specialists, selected the 10 winners from more than 160 applicants from 47 countries.
Each candidate was assessed on three criteria: technology or business model innovation, and what novelty it brings to the market; evidence of substantive progress in the form of strong commercial partnerships, the distribution channels in place and sales growth; and the potential to scale and have a global impact.
The 2018 New Energy Pioneers are:
- Advanced Microgrid Solutions (U.S.) designs, develops, and manages portfolios of distributed energy resources providing dynamic grid management and value to wholesale markets.
“Being recognized as a New Energy Pioneer is a great honor for AMS,” said Susan Kennedy, CEO, Advanced Microgrid Solutions. “This award really is a signal that the era of trans-active energy management has arrived.”
- Bidgely (U.S.) is a load disaggregation company that uses machine learning and data analytics to process smart meter data and provide its users with insights about their energy consumption.
“Bidgely leverages Artificial Intelligence to help utilities personalize the energy experience for consumers around the world,” said Abhay Gupta, CEO, Bidgely. “We celebrate becoming a Bloomberg New Energy Pioneer, an honor which recognizes our ability to solve real-world utility business challenges like digital transformation and a rapidly evolving energy landscape.”
- BURN (Kenya) has designed and manufactured over 370,000 clean cook stoves, improving both air quality and access to power for low-income households.
Peter Scott, CEO, BURN, said, “To win an award from an organization I admire so much is humbling. Recognition as a Bloomberg New Energy Pioneer means that BURN is able to share its story with the world. It gives a boost to our mission of saving forests and lives in the developing world through improved cooking solutions.”
- Climeon (Sweden) has commercialized the extraction of electricity from low-temperature heat (70-120 degrees Celsius), used in the context of waste heat or geothermal power.
“Climeon’s vision is to become the Number 1 climate solver. To reach this we have to be true pioneers. Becoming a Bloomberg New Energy Pioneer confirms that we are on the right path and it really makes us very proud,” said Climeon CEO Thomas Ostrom.
- Enbala (U.S.) operates a real-time energy-balancing platform creating controllable and dispatchable energy resources from flexible loads, energy storage and renewable energy sources.
Said Arthur (Bud) Vos, CEO and President, Enbala, “We exist for one reason: to create an energy future that’s sustainable and balanced. It’s gratifying to me personally and to everyone who works at Enbala to have our energy balancing technology recognized by such a prestigious and well-respected organization.”
- Greenlots (U.S.) is a hardware-agnostic provider of electric vehicle network management software and services. These give utilities, cities, communities and automakers the ability to control grid loads through smart charging and demand response.
“At Greenlots, we’re dedicated to delivering cutting-edge technology to our customers, allowing them to optimize and manage their EV charging infrastructure, and provide drivers a seamless, reliable charging experience, said Greenlots CEO Brett Hauser. “This recognition from Bloomberg New Energy Finance is a key indicator of the significance of our work to make EVs a part of everyday life across the globe, while creating new market opportunities at the grid edge.”
- Limejump (U.K.) is an energy tech company that connects data capabilities and renewable energy generation to the national grid, optimizing assets’ value and supporting sustainability using proprietary software to aggregate and manage a distributed fleet of flexible assets.
“We see Bloomberg as a key ally in providing our customers with insight and information which is needed to ensure we all build this new energy market bottom up,” said Erik Nygard, CEO, Limejump.
- LO3 Energy (U.S.) is an early mover in peer-to-peer energy trading using blockchain technology, and is developing other applications for its blockchain platform.
“A blockchain is a decentralized, distributed and public digital ledger that is used to record transactions across many computers so that the record cannot be altered retroactively without the alteration of all subsequent blocks and the collusion of the network,” according to Wikipedia. “The result is a robust workflow where participants’ uncertainty regarding data security is marginal.”
“Making energy is about one of the dirtiest things we do on the planet. It puts more toxins and pollution in the air than just about any other industry,” said Lawrence Orsini, CEO, LO3 Energy. “We are honored that BNEF chose to recognize the impact LO3 Energy is making today with its blockchain technology. Empowering prosumers and bringing choice to consumers, together we are making fundamental changes that will affect the energy sector’s advancement in clean energy forever.”
- SaltX (Sweden) is an innovator in storing heat chemically, using a proprietary salt-based technology. This uses a nano coating and graphene to prevent salt crystals from growing when energy is stored, greatly improving the number of storage cycles whilst also reducing corrosion.
“Being a BNEF New Energy Pioneer means of course a great honor and helps putting SaltX on the map, but it also means a great responsibility for making the sustainable energy revolution happen,” said Karl Bohman, CEO, SaltX. “We at SaltX promise to work tirelessly – and we will not stop – until our low-cost, scalable and natural energy storage technology is used on a global basis.”
- WiTricty (U.S.) has developed wireless charging through magnetic resonance technology, allowing high-efficiency power transfer for the electric vehicle industry.
WiTricity CEO Alex Gruzen said, “WiTricity is the pioneer in developing wireless charging for electric vehicles that is as fast and efficient as plugging in. Global automakers are accelerating development of EV platforms, and WiTricity is focused on improving the ownership experience—no more cables, no mess, and no worry about remembering to charge. We also recognize that the future of mobility is electrified, autonomous and shared, and wireless charging is an essential enabler for fleets of robotaxis where there is no driver to plug in.”
Bloomberg New Energy Finance is an industry research firm focused on helping energy professionals generate opportunities. With a team of 200 experts spread across six continents, BNEF provides independent analysis and insight, enabling decision-makers to navigate change in an evolving energy economy.
Michael Wilshire, selection committee chair and head of strategy at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, said, “We have seen a sharp uptick in the number of applicants that use digital technologies and software to help make the electricity system more resilient, flexible and efficient – all critical elements of a more decentralized and renewable energy system.”
“Emerging technologies such as machine learning and blockchain are being used to improve decision making and to make operations more efficient, as well as to create new capabilities, such as peer-to-peer energy trading and the ability to manage complex sets of distributed assets,” he said.
“Transport is being transformed, with two of this year’s Pioneers developing infrastructure, software, and services to support the rollout of electric vehicles,” said Wilshire. “We are very encouraged by the innovation, determination and creativity shown by these Pioneers and by the potential that they have to help transform the energy and transport systems.
Featured Image: In summer 2016, California State University enlisted Advanced Microgrid Solutions to install the first fleet of Hybrid Electric Buildings® at an educational institution. Hybrid Electric Buildings® store energy when it is cleaner and more plentiful, and shift building loads from the electric grid to battery power when demand is high. (Photo courtesy Advanced Microgrid Solutions) Posted for media use
