Grid operators 50Hertz and Elia are calling on start-ups across Europe to provide ideas that can optimise integration of electricity from offshore wind farms.
This year’s Open Innovation Challenge, run by Elia Group, will focus on how innovative technologies and processes can be used to optimise the integration of electricity from offshore wind turbines into grid infrastructure.
Companies can submit their ideas by the end of March.
The final and the award ceremony will take place in Berlin in June and the winners can expect a prize money of €20,000 as well as the further development of the innovation idea together with the Elia Group in Germany and Belgium.
The offshore connections of wind farms and the development of offshore networks offer a wide range of starting points for innovation, Elia said and has defined priorities of “sustainability”, “remote operation and maintenance”, “network integration” and “out-of-the-box solutions” in the call for the Open Innovation Challenge.
“Offshore wind energy, including in the North Sea and Baltic Sea, is indispensable for the decarbonisation of our society. There is a huge generation potential that we in Europe need to tap as efficiently as possible in the coming years and decades,” said Elia Group management board member Stefan Kapferer.
He added: “But how to improve network integration technically, organise maintenance or reduce construction costs, there are still many ideas to develop and realise.
“That is why we invite the vibrant start-up scene throughout Europe, but also especially in Berlin, to surprise ourselves with your ideas, to convince us and to tackle these challenges together with us.”
From now on, the contestants have two months to submit their ideas. At the end of March, 10 to 15 of the proposed ideas will be shortlisted.
The respective start-ups will then have the opportunity to refine their projects in cooperation with experts from the Elia Group. The top five ideas will reach the final.
They will then have the opportunity to pitch to a jury of experts.
Interested start-ups can find out more about the Open Innovation Challenge at https://innovation.eliagroup.eu.