Comment by Summayyah Hussain, SME Engagement Manager, Energy Launchpad and International, at Energy Systems Catapult 

There has never been a more exciting time to be an energy innovator. The energy sector is undergoing a rapid pace of evolution as we pursue our 2050 Net Zero targets, bringing new products, services, and propositions to the market.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are often at the forefront of innovation. Here’s a closer look at five SME innovators that are on my radar this summer:

1. Amp X

Amp X is developing a digital energy services platform – ALICE: Agent for Lifestyle-based Intelligent Control of Energy – focused on autonomy, machine-learning, advanced data analytics and control systems – aiming to unlock flexibility to provide cost and carbon savings for consumers and improved grid resilience and stability.

We partnered with Amp X to test this technology in our Living Lab, providing valuable consumer insights to further refine the product​.

2. Atamate

Atamate focuses on smart building technologies that streamline energy management and environmental monitoring. Their systems integrate various building functions—such as heating, lighting, and security—into a single control platform, enhancing energy efficiency and user convenience.

Recent support under Energy Systems Catapult’s Innovator Support 4 Platform worked towards achieving recognition within government’s Standard Assessment Procedure for energy performance in homes. This next phase of work focuses on:

• Measuring consumer interest in smart homes, particularly those buying new homes,
• Identifying optimum price points within core market opportunities
• Defining propositions for market.

3. LiNa Energy

LiNa Energy is commercialising a solid-state sodium battery which unlocks breakthrough performance and unmatched safety at a fraction of the cost of lithium-ion for stationary storage, enabling renewable energy fortification and supporting electrification of transport.

Use of a lithium and cobalt free chemistry enables the creation of next-generation local and transparent battery supply chains and significantly lower embedded carbon.

LiNa Energy is  one of the 37 SMEs that have participated in the Innovating for Transport and Energy Systems (ITES) initiative.

4. equiwatt

equiwatt incentivises consumers to save energy at peak times through an app-based rewards scheme, by using smart meter data to monitor household energy use and automatically turn-off appliances to reduce demand during peak events. By aggregating demand-side responses across multiple homes, equiwatt helps balance the grid and reduce the need for additional infrastructure investments.

Energy Systems Catapult selected equiwatt to join our Energy Launchpad to help the firm prepare for further investment and scale up their customer base. Equiwatt tested its technology in the Living Lab and recently joined the ITES programme.

5. SMPnet

SMPnet Ltd, an SME technology start-up, developed Omega, a state-of-the-art power grid management framework. Our Energy Launchpad team worked with SMPnet to further refine the route to market within the emerging Smart Local Energy Systems (SLES) landscape for value-based network controllers. This included:

• Determining the commercial business model and validating assumptions.
• Evaluating the competitor landscape and defining a route to market by developing the value stack for SMPnet.
• Identifying partnership opportunities and developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) Software as a Service (SaaS) offering and pricing model.
• Supporting SMPnet in raising investor finance.

Interested in learning more about how we can support you and your business? Why not sign up for one of our SME Surgeries.