The European Innovation Council Business Acceleration Services invite you to participate in our brand-new Energy4Planet-initiative. This is a great opportunity to enhance your cooperation with Spanish multinational Iberdrola and co-create innovative solutions to a number of pre-determined challenges related to the European Green Deal and energy transition. 

Applications are open until 14 March 2021.

What is Energy4Planet?

The major energy transition challenges of the Green Deal and the associated ambitious goals will need close collaboration across value chains. It will also require concrete pilots with the best startups, knowledgeable corporates and technology institutes that the European ecosystem has to offer. On that account, the EIC is opening applications for the Energy4Planet, a brand-new initiative part of the EIC Corporate Programme It builds upon the success of last year’s EIC Planet.tech. where more than a dozen EIC-innovators got together with four large corporates to co-create solutions and start pilots together. After a few months seven different pilots and partnerships were initiated and presented during the R&I Days in September 2020 (more info here).

With the Energy4Planet-initiative, the EIC Business Acceleration Services once again offers the opportunity to enhance your cooperation with large corporates and co-create innovative solutions to a number of pre-determined challenges in the field of energy transition EIC funded SMEs with innovative solutions to challenges posed by Iberdrola are encouraged to apply (more info below).

Selection procedure and programme

The Energy4Planet-initiative is divided into three different phase:

Phase I: Iberdrola will dedicate a team of experts to select the SME’s with the highest possibilities to develop a joint Proof of Concept (PoC) around the challenges proposed (more info below). Those selected will be invited to a (digital) event, foreseen for 4 & 5 May 2021, to facilitate further collaboration between selected SMEs and corporates.

Phase II: After the event, Iberdrola will select the best beneficiary(ies) to proceed for a POC, MVP or another form of collaboration. Those involved are encouraged to use 1 to 5 months to co-create and translate some of the propositions in an MVP or any other form of collaboration. This can include hands-on work, training webinars and support during the same period. 

Phase III: The Energy4Planet-iniatitive will culminate on a demo day happening at the Energy Week, taking place from 25-29 October 2021, in Brussels or digital (tbc) where both Iberdrola and EIC beneficiaries will be invited to demonstrate their work.

Iberdrola’s Challenges

Iberdrola group was 20 years ahead of the current energy transition and has now got an unprecedented 75-billion-euro investment plan up until 2025 to maintain its position at the forefront of the energy revolution the world's leading economies are facing, consolidating its business model based on more renewable energies, more grids, more storage and more smart solutions for customers.

Electricity is fundamental to the decarbonisation of energy uses through renewable energy to create a sustainable and efficient energy framework. It is also the energy vector that allows a greater contribution from clean energy sources, whilst at the same time dramatically improves the overall efficiency of the energy system. Nevertheless, electricity is nowadays mainly used for power generation, only making around 20% of global energy demand. The reason behind lies on high reliance levels in fossil fuels in sectors outside of power, such as transportation, buildings and industry, constituting the so called hard-to-abate sectors.

Industrial heat could benefit from a greater use of electricity for the low and medium temperature processes, through the application of heat pumps in combination with energy efficiency measures, while high-temperature processes could aim at electrification combined with fuel-switching to diminish their associated emissions. 

Iberdrola is looking to help these industries on their energy transition, searching for ad-hoc solutions for factories to improve the efficiency of the energy used while reducing CO2 emissions in a sustainable and cost-effective manner. 

• Industrial Heating and Cooling

The solutions sent, which will be analysed by the Industrial Heating and Cooling’s business of Iberdrola group, must meet the following needs:

• Automation project design for decarbonization of industrial processes using software tools
• Hybridization of clean technologies, for example:
  • Heat pumps
  • Electric furnaces
  • Energy efficiency measures
  • Green hydrogen
  • Self-consumption by distributed renewable energy
• Energy Consumption and Savings simulations 
• Project finance calculations based on project CAPEX and OPEX inputs:
  • Investment Rate of Return (IRR)
  • Net Present Value (NPV)
  • Payback Periods (PB)

Opportunities for selected EIC-funded SMEs

• The chance to pitch and meet in an online environment with top corporate representatives;
• Opportunity to be selected to co-develop a pilot project or Proof of Concept with Iberdrola and presenting your solution at a dedicated event in autumn 2021 (tbd);
• Personalised online training on pitching techniques and Iberdrola specifications before the event;
• Services related to support before, during and after the event.

Application

This application is open to all EIC-backed SMEs.

You can apply by clicking on the following link.

After logging in with your EU-Login, please fill in the respective form.
In your application form, you should answer all questions and explain how you will approach this challenge and why your company has the most innovative solution.

Please acknowledge the information you provide on the application form will be shared with EDP to maximise potential benefits and ensure the effectiveness of this challenge.

The Business Acceleration Services will contact all applicants once the selection process has been concluded. However, this contact does not include feedback or recommendations to those not selected.

Cancellation policy

Cancellations will only be considered in duly documented cases of “force majeure”. Unjustified cancellation can lead to exclusion in future Business Acceleration Services events. For additional information, please refer to our helpdesk: https://community-smei.easme-web.eu/contact (please choose “Energy4Planet” as the subject).