In the second quarter of 24/25, we’ve seen our efforts to support innovation ripple through the energy sector, helping start-ups and scale-ups gain traction and make significant strides towards a Net Zero future. From securing investment to advancing cutting-edge technology, here are some highlights from the past few months.
SMEs we’ve supported have now raised over half a billion pounds in public and private investment since 2018. This year alone, eight businesses (AEON Energy, Nusku, Ki Hydrogen, Gauge19, Dwello, Lux Energy, Naxca, Meter Z) currently being supported by the Climate Innovation Platform, in collaboration with the University of Birmingham and supported by HSBC, have gone on to raise funds for their products and services.
Our innovator support programmes are continuing to help innovators reach their full potential. We ran two challenge calls in October 2024 in support of the UK-Brazil Innovating to Net Zero in the Electricity Sector (INES) project to find SMEs working on innovative solutions to international energy challenges. In October 2024, we also published our Innovating for Transport and Energy Solutions (ITES) impact report, demonstrating our commitment to backing high-potential energy innovators.
Airex is a fantastic example of the type of high-impact SME we have supported and continue to support as they help homeowners transition to Net Zero. They held a trial of their innovative smart ventilation control system in our Living Lab (which now consists of over 4,500 homes), and we provided consumer research advice and support. This year they’ve achieved a significant milestone by receiving a full British Board of Agrément (BBA) Certificate, verifying the quality and performance of their product. Airex is paving the way for other UK SMEs in the energy industry.
Since launching in April 2024 we’ve had over 1,800 downloads of our Innovating to Net Zero 2024 report. Chris Stark, Head of Mission Control for Clean Power cited the report as “excellent.” Hopefully you’ve had a chance to read it, but it’s not too late to get stuck into the analysis, with our insight series breaking down some of the key issues including managing ‘peak heat’ and our ‘modelling assumptions’. If you want to join the innovation discussion, please get in touch.
One of the areas we know is critical for innovation is the digitalisation of the energy sector. DESNZ recognises this too, and has made six commitments in response to the Energy System Digital Spine Feasibility Study we worked on with Arup and the University of Bath. Meanwhile Ofgem has tasked the Electricity System Operator (ESO) to begin building the digital spine, and we are pleased to see that this appears to be aligning with the Digital Orchestrator proposals we, along with Arup, Zühlke and others completed for ESO in the summer.
It was recently indicated that GB Energy could support the roll out of Local Area Energy Plans (LAEP) as part of their Local Power Plan brief. Utility Week’s ‘Make it a LAEP Year‘ campaign continues to encourage stakeholders from across the energy sector to push the government to adopt the LAEP framework, mandate it, and fund its roll out UK-wide.
In quarter three we’ll be delivering the results of our NHS pilot, as part of our InSite project. We’ve explained more about our work decarbonising the NHS estate here.
This is just a taste of what we’ve been up to, check out the latest news, blogs, case studies, and reports for more. You can also read more over on our impact page.
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Find out more about how Energy Systems Catapult can help you and your teams
Find out more about how Energy Systems Catapult can help you and your teams