UK Research and Innovation is seeking innovators and entrepreneurs in the smart energy space to compete for a share of £30m in funding.
The ‘Prospering from the Energy Revolution’ challenge fund aims to support industry, academia, public bodies and local communities to develop a smart local energy systems industry in the UK.
UKRI said such networks will help support energy system solutions that make the best use of renewables, energy storage, ultra-low emission vehicles, energy efficiency, low carbon heat and digital infrastructure among other technologies.
The aim of the competition is to create a pipeline of innovative, ambitious, local energy system designs that are investable and ready to roll out across the UK in the 2020s, UKRI said.
“We are looking to fund a portfolio of projects, across a variety of technologies, markets, technological maturities and research categories,” it said.
Energy and Clean Growth Minister Claire Perry said: “We are at the start of a smart energy revolution, which will see technology like energy storage, smart appliances and electric vehicles become part of the fabric of everyday life.
“A future built on digital, data-driven smart systems will transform the way society interacts with the grid – delivering cheaper, greener and more flexible access to energy for everyone.
“This competition will help to give the UK’s makers and innovators the tools to make this vision a reality, and seize on the business opportunities ahead.”
UKRI Prospering from the Energy Revolution challenge director Rob Saunders said: “Smart local energy systems can intelligently link supply, storage and use of power, heat and transport in new ways that dramatically improve efficiency and work better for people.
“This competition will seek the very best ideas in British innovation to show how the energy sector of the future will be cleaner and greener and support the jobs and industries of the future.”
The competition is part of a wider Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund programme called, Prospering from the Energy Revolution and is open until 7 August.