The Hitachi Energy Startup Challenge, in collaboration with Sweden-based innovation growth hub SynerLeap, concluded last week. Two winners among six finalist startup companies were selected after a final workshop at the company’s headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.

Global Reach and Innovation

Launched in March this year, the competition received submissions from around 30 countries. It challenged startups and scale-ups to develop sustainable solution ideas for the Grid Integration and Transformers’ businesses. After a thorough evaluation, a select group of entrepreneurs participated in pre-coaching webinars with Hitachi Energy experts for over 10 days, culminating in solution pitches. Six finalists advanced to the final event in Zurich to present their solutions to a jury of prominent technology and sustainability experts.

Winners Announced

The winners, Pond Biomaterials and Composite Recycling, impressed the jury with their visionary proposals. They will receive a collaboration project prize of up to $30,000 and the chance to become Hitachi Energy’s strategic partners, developing their solutions for a joint approach to its customer database worldwide.

Pond Biomaterials: Innovating Bio-Substitutes

Pond Biomaterials, a biotech company specializing in transforming products into fully biobased and biodegradable solutions, won the challenge for the Grid Integration Business Unit’s track, “Sustainability Innovation for High Voltage Systems.” Their proposal of an innovative bio-substitute to replace perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) components was highly praised.

“The Hitachi Energy Startup Challenge has provided a great platform to team up with these promising and talented new companies. We are excited about the collaboration with Pond Biomaterials and to further develop their idea, which will increase our ability to make a real impact to accelerate the energy transition with the highest sustainability standards,” said Niklas Persson, Managing Director of the Grid Integration Business Unit at Hitachi Energy.

Composite Recycling: Advancing Circular Solutions

Composite Recycling, dedicated to recycling glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP) into reclaimed glass fibers and pyrolysis oil, won the challenge for the Transformers Business Unit proposal, “Circular Solutions for an Aging Installed Base of Transformers at End-of-Life.” Their solution aims to reduce landfill waste, facilitate recycling, and support circularity while being energy efficient.

“The spirit of the Startup Challenge is about collaboration, co-creation, and innovation, the key pillars to address the urgency of the energy transition major challenge. We are now very proud to welcome Composite Recycling as our partner. Together we expect to develop this innovative technology presented in our challenge as a way of making even more sustainable solutions for Transformers’ technology in the future,” said Bruno Melles, Managing Director of the Transformers Business Unit at Hitachi Energy.

Commitment to Sustainability

The Hitachi Energy Startup Challenge 2024 underscores the company’s dedication to fostering innovation and sustainability in the energy sector. By collaborating with visionary startups like Pond Biomaterials and Composite Recycling, Hitachi Energy continues to lead the way in developing eco-efficient solutions that support the global energy transition.

Source: hitachienergy.com