How the EIT supports clean energy system innovation
EITThe UN calls on the world to switch energy systems for the benefit of people and planet. The EIT is blazing the path forward.
The UN declared 26 January 2024 the International Day of Clean Energy to mobilise action for a just and inclusive energy transition. Clean energy is the bottom line for any successful green transition that can meet the Europe's objective to get to climate neutral greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. And Europe's contribution will be critical to help the world stave off the consequences of a 2°C increase in global temperature - extreme heat, flooding, pandemics, poverty, and crashing biodiversity to name a few.
That's why we're helping innovate the future of energy systems.
The EIT prioritises tech that addresses the world's needs
We're rising to the objectives of the EU Green Deal with zeal. Our unique model that forges lasting partnerships between higher education, research, and business has helped break down silos and barriers to innovation. And not just innovation in and of itself - our EIT Community combines innovation with entrepreneurship to get those ideas out of the lab table and into the market with a whole network of like-minded supporters to guide it to success. The EIT Community most responsible for tackling the challenge of clean energy is EIT InnoEnergy, which itself has reached the USD 1 billion valuation to become recognised as a 'unicorn' business.
We're also well aware that the more advanced the clean energy technology becomes, the harder it will be for companies to find people who know how to manage that tech. That's why one of our core activities is to provide learners in any career stage with the tech and business skills they need to make it in an increasingly competitive global market. And our new Deep Tech Talent Initiative hones in on all cutting-edge tech that will become integrated into new clean tech energy systems, including sustainable new ways to manufacture and people-friendly AI. We aim to train a million Europeans in these critical skills by 2025.
Meet some of the clean energy companies we're supporting
Suena developed the Suena Autopilot, a fully automated trading-as-a-service platform for energy storage and renewable energy asset owners. It is designed to handle the immense complexity of the power trading market and can react in real-time to the fluctuations of the power grid. With EIT InnoEnergy's support, Suena has been able to raise the capital it needed to refine their product, expand their team, and integrate into the European market.
Zparq is developing the world's most compact electric marine motors with emissions-free propulsion and a low CO2 footprint throughout its value chain. EIT InnoEnergy both guided Zparq's growth and was its first institutional investor.
Our scalable and modular technology has generated an overwhelming interest from boat manufacturers and ship builders globally, and we have customers within the complete range from small leisure boats to commercial vessels waiting for our powertrains. The company is currently in the pilot phase with several OEMs and boat builders who are testing its 10kW and 50kW motors. It aims to have several units operating in water by this summer.
Jonas Genchel, CEO of Zparq
Holosolis is starting solar PV manufacturing at its new Moselle, France gigafactory next year and at full capacity will produce 10 million solar panel modules annually. That amount of potential power could provide electricity for up to a million European homes. Holosolis was a joint creation between EIT InnoEnergy, French real estate company IDEC Group, and solar energy producer TSE with the express objective of building Europe's largest photovoltaic gigafactory.
Elestor is working with the world's largest independent tank storage company, Vopak, to create largescale renewable energy storage for power grids. It is developing a unique, patented hydrogen bromine flow battery to store electricity as modules. The batteries are expected to have a long life expectancy with no self-discharge and will deliver power quickly at a substantially lower electricity storage cost.
Basquevolt, within which EIT InnoEnergy is one of the founding shareholders, is developing a new generation of lithium batteries that promise a more than 30% cost reduction and a 50% increase in battery energy storage. They will need less raw materials, use less energy, and have a lower CO2 footprint per kWh in the production process. It also develops cost-competitive and sustainable solutions to power electric lights and commercial vehicles, trains, airplanes, and stationary storage, along with an extensive range of electronic devices.
Powering on
The EIT Community will continue to be part of the solution to how we can make the green transition sustainably and inclusively. Learn more about our core activities and how we get things done.
Share this page
