SET Awards – Startups for the energy transition

This year, the SET is once again organizing the Start Up Energy Transition Award. The SET Award is a global competition for young international companies that want to do something about climate change and promote the energy transition with their innovative solutions. The award is offered in the categories “Clean Energy Generation”, “Demand-side Innovation”, “Energy Distribution and Storage” , “Smart Mobility & Transportation” and “Quality Energy Access & SDG7”. More than 543 applications from startups from 89 countries have already been received for 2021. We look forward to innovative ideas from the young companies that want to support the energy transition.

Actors

The Start Up Energy Transition (SET) is an international platform for promoting innovations related to the energy transition. It is operated by the German Energy Agency (dena) in collaboration with the WEC, the World Energy Council. As such, it provides a unique interface between the private and public sectors.

Another partner of the Startup Energy Transition Award is GIZ, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Among other things, it promotes innovation and startup culture both internationally and specifically in developing countries including for SET Award finalists of recent years.

At Ambivation, we connect startups, corporates and SMEs. As a bridge builder, we want to bring startups and corporates together and promote successful collaboration. In doing so, sustainability and progress in the energy transition is also close to our hearts, so we like to support the SET’s initiative.

In the context of the selected SET Award finalists of the GIZ support, we present some exciting startups that are active with their ideas in the field of climate protection in developing countries, among others, and that contribute their part to the energy transition with their innovative solutions.

Startups

The young company Pawame was founded in Kenya and aims to offer energy as a basis for financial independence. With its special financing model, the startup aims to expand energy solutions in sub-Saharan Africa and also provide marginalized groups with access to low-cost energy. The services offered by the startup range from the sale of the solar home system to the monitoring of customer behavior and the installation of the solution by electricians.

With its solution, Sunculture from Kenya has created an opportunity for both farms and private households to take sustainable control of the environment. Among other things, the startup uses solar water pump technology and efficient drip irrigation. This can increase crop yields by 300% and reduce water consumption by 80%. Sunculture also offers a financing model that allows smaller farmers to access the innovative technologies. The pay-as-you-grow model includes the option to pay off the costs in small monthly installments.

Also based in Kenya is the startup Chemolex. The young company has set itself the goal of achieving a behavioral change in household waste disposal through cleaning and greening measures. Within this framework, Chemolex has been implementing projects for five years, including recycling and river rehabilitation. Thus, in the five years since its creation, they have already been able to collect and recycle more than fifteen tons of plastic.

The startup Powerstove is based in Nigeria. Since 96% of all households there cook with firewood or kerosene, and thus harm the environment, Powerstove has developed a more sustainable solution here. Using paper and wood waste, as well as agricultural byproducts, the startup produces biomass pellets that can power an environmentally friendly stove . The wattage that the stove can generate with these is fifty watts, which is enough to charge about a phone. Electricity that is not used can be stored in a lithium-ion battery and used later.

Sosai renewable Energys Company was established in 2010 in Nigeria. The company’s goal is to close the energy gap and make up for the energy deficit of the disadvantaged society. With the help of various solar-powered solutions, they aim to drive the energy transition. Within this framework, the startup offers both services and products in this sector. In the meantime, SOSAI has become one of the leading companies in the field of renewable energies and biofuels in Nigeria.

Based in Bangladesh, Solshare has developed a revolutionary solution to bring low-cost solar-powered electricity to the area. To do this, they use solar sharing grids. In this way, they enable access to electricity even in rural areas. The startup even won the Royal Foundation’s Earthshot Prize in 2021, one of the most prestigious international environmental awards, for its idea.

The nigerian startup Coldhubs also works with solar power. It has developed a solution that uses solar energy to power a cold room. This can be installed using a plug-and-play model. This can extend the shelf life of perishable food from two to twenty-one days. To allow smaller farmers to access the technology, Coldhubs also offers a pay-as-you-store subscription model. Under this, users pay a flat daily fee for stored food.

With its solution, Jiro-Ve aims to provide a low-cost, clean and healthy lighting option for marginalized communities. The startup offers a rechargeable LED lamp that is cheaper than candles or kerosene and has applications in both rural and urban areas of Madagascar. Here, users can rent a fully charged lamp for an entire day and have it delivered to their door. The startup offers this technology as a franchise model, working with local businesses.

Divine Bamboo Group Limited is a sustainable, socially responsible forestry and biomass energy social enterprise that promotes propagation and establishment of fast growing local Bamboo explicitly for sale and production of clean charcoal briquettes respectively.

If any of the featured startups have piqued your interest, we at Ambivation are happy to put you in touch. Here you will also find a compact overview of the startups.

Click here to visit the Start Up Energy Transition website.