Dena reveals top energy transition start-ups of 2023

The German Energy Agency (dena) has announced the shortlisted start-ups to enter the final round of judging for the annual SET Award.

Start Up Energy Transition or SET is a global innovation platform that presents an annual award for innovative business models in the fields of energy transition and climate protection.

From the over 400 applications, 15 start-ups from 11 countries have been shortlisted and will enter the final round of the competition, taking place on 28th March 2023 during the SET Tech Festival in Berlin.

Clean Energy & Storage category

Energy Dome S.p.A., Italy - Energy Dome’s CO2 battery enables dispatchable renewable electricity to make the net zero energy transition possible. The battery is based on a thermodynamic process that uses CO2 to store electricity cost-effectively.

Granular SAS, France - Granular Energy provides software tools that enable utilities to effortlessly manage their clean electricity in a 24/7 carbon free electricity market.

Roofit Solar Energy OÜ, Estonia - Roofit.Solar produces solar roofs combining Nordic design with cutting-edge solar technology. Roofit.Solar’s fully integrated roofs are sturdy enough to withstand extreme weather and offer reduced total cost-of-build thanks to a simple and quick 2-in-1 installation.

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Mobility & Transportation category

Elonroad AB, Sweden - Whether driving or parked, Elonroad charges electric vehicles with a safe and energy efficient alternative. The built-in software enables even small batteries to have unlimited range and thus converts highways into a smart road infrastructure.

Navalt Solar & Electric Boats Pvt Ltd., India - Navalt is an ecological marine tech company that specialises in the manufacturing of solar electric vessels. With its innovation, the company is helping to accelerate the complete electrification of shipping.

Spark e-Fuels GmbH, Germany - Spark e-Fuels develops and operates production facilities for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The start-up has found a solution to the limited availability and high cost of SAF. For the first time, it is developing an e-fuel SAF production system with direct access to renewable electricity.

Industry category

BeChained Artificial Intelligence Technologies S.L., Spain - BeChained helps consumers save costs and CO2 emissions through a digital twin and dispatch control system for distributed resources. Through a ledger-based information system, BeChained cuts unnecessary consumption in production processes and feeds that freed capacity back into the market by selling CO2 credits through the EU’s Emissions Trading System.

Heatrix GmbH, Germany - Heatrix’s wants to competitively replace fossil fuels in energy-intensive industries by converting renewable electricity into storable, high-temperature process heat. Heatrix’s solution has the potential to decarbonize the majority of high-emission industries.

Rondo Energy, United States - The Rondo Heat Battery captures renewable electricity to deliver low-cost, zero-carbon and continuous high-temperature heat for industry. In essence, it's a toaster heating bricks to help decarbonise heavy industries like steel, cement, aluminium and biofuels.

Buildings & Construction category

ClimateView, Sweden - ClimateView is a Swedish climate tech company providing game-changing SaaS insights to accelerate cities' transition to net zero. ClimateView’s ClimateOS platform connects emissions to economics, helping city planners to manage, budget and mitigate their emissions to reach net zero.

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Hyperion Robotics Oy, Finland - By bringing together 3D printing technology, automation and circular economy principles, Hyperion enables material usage savings of 75 percent and cuts construction’s carbon footprint by up to 90 percent.

Lumoview Building Analytics GmbH, Germany - Lumoview’s building analytics offers the fastest way to digitize buildings and reduce CO2 footprint. Through AI, the device scans rooms in just two seconds, producing dependable 3D CAD designs that empower owners to efficiently manage their buildings and reduce CO2 through targeted, deep renovations.

Quality Access & SDG-7 category

Mega Gas Alternative Energy Enterprise Ltd., Kenya - A cleantech start-up with a mission to provide low-income families with clean and affordable cooking gas through the recycling of plastic waste. Mega Gas Alternative Energy’s patented process is the first of its kind in the SSA region.

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Oorja Development Solutions India Ltd., India - Oorja is pioneering a community-based, inclusive Pay-Per-Use model to deliver solar farming services to smallholder farmers, in turn helping them transition durably away from fossil fuels.

Solaristique Nigeria Ltd., Nigeria - Solaristique is a recycling company that is tackling Nigeria’s food waste problem by turning old freezers into a range of low-cost, hyper-efficient, solar-powered cold storage units for off-grid use.

Andreas Kuhlmann, CEO of the German Energy Agency (dena), said: "In the current energy crisis, the development of a stable and digital energy system is of central importance.

"The companies on the SET100 2023 list are therefore contributing to the security of the system through new digital business models. The SET initiative also shows the developments of recent years and the most important trends that will shape 2023."

The SET100 List of 2023 profiles the best SET Award applications. The initiative was launched in 2017 in collaboration with the World Energy Council with the aim of offering young companies a platform to showcase their forward-thinking solutions.

Enlit visited the SET Tech festival in Berlin in September 2022 and reported on the contribution from start ups to the energy transition: