Building on the success of the Energy Launchpad International pilot (2020-2021) in Thailand and India, Energy Systems Catapult was seeking to build partnerships in Thailand, South Africa and Mexico.
Following two challenge calls, 16 UK innovators were chosen for their unique propositions – with six innovators focused on South Africa. They worked closely with Catapult incubation managers and third party experts to learn about their new focus market, adapt their business models and meet potential collaborators.
Energy Launchpad International works closely with innovators to build their business development capacity. Innovators often lack the resources to create full export strategies, and our research shows the two most common things they lack are in-country contacts and market understanding.
The Opportunity
Both South Africa and Mexico currently depend strongly on fossil fuels and at national level it’s hard to see how UK innovators might collaborate.
However, through discussions with our in-country partners we’ve found opportunities for real impact and potential business collaborations at local level – whether that’s helping rural landowners in Mexico diversify their incomes and reduce reliance on diesel generation, or working with South African municipalities as they seek stability from rolling blackouts.
UK firms need support navigating the South African and Mexican markets because they operate differently and there are unique barriers. UK innovators will need to build trusting relationships with local partners in addition to demonstrating a strong product or service. The Energy Launchpad International will support net zero innovators with unique smart energy business model expertise and strong overseas networks to foster collaboration between UK and local firms.
The remote engagement approach is beneficial in that it extends the engagement window beyond that of traditional trade missions – allowing trusting business relationships to be established and for the UK innovators to adapt their approach to the market.
The Solution
Energy Launchpad International combines our international experience of running missions with our start-up incubation service that provides specialist energy systems expertise, to create a unique programme that responded to the needs of UK innovators.
We draw on experts from across the Catapult and our network of delivery partners to provide an end-to-end export programme tailored to the technologies, business needs and level of maturity of the six innovators focused on South Africa. The programme ran three overlapping stages (see infographic below).
Danecca supplies production ready energy storage systems into the automotive industry. It is now seeking to deploy these engineering skills and its knowledge of power system design and operation to develop grid scale electrical energy storage solutions targeted at commercial and industrial customers seeking to mitigate supply side rolling blackouts.
EA Technology is a specialist in asset management solutions for owners and operators of electrical assets. It is headquartered in the UK, with operations and customers global with four regional offices around the world.
ENERGINEERING is a 12-year-old boutique consultancy on industrial efficiency strategic design, focusing on sustainability of investments. It has been leading the development of a reversible heat pump and storage (patent pending) solution for small 1-10kWhr electrical power requirements, providing electrical power to operate local nano grids to support user needs.
Gravitricity is developing a novel form of mechanical energy storage, using weights being raised and lowered. The Gravitricity System can enable the reliable storage and return of electricity to a grid, as well as providing sub-second response for grid management.
InvestinGreen (IVG) is a socially responsible renewable energy project developer and independent power producer. It is a multidisciplinary team of experts with over a hundred and eighty years of combined experience working to build renewable energy infrastructure and access to energy in Africa, Asia and South America.
Modularity Grid is a deep tech startup that provides AI software for remotely monitoring and controlling renewable energy assets, enabling the next generation of low carbon energy systems for aerospace and terrestrial applications.
Energy Launchpad International aims to bridge the gap between UK innovators and international markets. These can be grouped into two main issues: (1) understanding the market and (2) establishing relationships with local stakeholders.
Our Energy Market Deep Dives offers insight into the mechanics of a country’s power system, with a focus on smart and clean energy solutions. They include case studies of pilots and local business models and the references section can be used to link to further reading. Our deep dives are a valuable resource for innovators to use in creating their export roadmap, giving them access to relevant data and sources of information that they may not have the resources to collect themselves.
Energy Market Deep Dive
South Africa market assessment for smart energy business models
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Energy Launchpad International - South Africa & Mexico Impact Report
Download
To download this file, we would be grateful if you could tell us a little about yourself.
We use this information for internal research purposes to help us better understand which energy sector stakeholders are interested in which areas of our work. We do not share your details with any third parties.