TechX Clean Energy Accelerator is an intensive 15-week program for 12 innovative clean energy start-ups with clear potential to accelerate the transition to an affordable net zero energy industry.
- Up to £100k grant per start-up
- Open to start-ups globally
- Single or multi-team founders welcome
- Targeting clean energy start-ups at technology readiness levels 2 to 6
Eligibility
You must be developing a technology that aligns with one of the focus areas. Your start-up must also:
Have a novel technology within the scope: Applicants must be developing a novel clean energy technology that is fully owned by the start-up.
Be pre-commercial, TRL 2-6: The technology that the applicant company is applying with must be at a technology readiness level (TRL) of between 2 (early-stage technology concept) and 6 (technology prototype demonstrated in a relevant environment). You can still apply if your company has other technologies that are at a higher TRL, but the technology you apply with must be TRL 2-6.
Create impact: All technologies accepted to the program need to have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. TechX focuses on technologies with industrial applications. Technologies solely with commercial or residential applications are out of scope.
Actively participate & demonstrate commitment: All start-ups must commit to actively participating in the program for the full 15 weeks with at least one member of the team attending all required sessions and meetings. This will include traveling to Aberdeen for three in-person weeks, participating in regular online workshops based on a GMT time zone, and being available from Monday to Thursday for the full program.
Deploy in the UK: All start-ups must have ambitions to deploy their technologies or create economic impact in the North East of Scotland and the wider UK. The program accepts start-ups from around the world, but they will need to set up a UK company and articulate how they plan to benefit the UK.
Be eligible for funding: All start-ups must meet the requirements under the Subsidy Control Act (2022) to be able to claim funding. The TechX funding of £100k must not result in the company exceeding the Minimal Financial Assistance threshold over the last 3 year period.
Have not applied to TechX more than three times: Start-ups must not have applied to the TechX Accelerator more than three times with the same technology
TECHNOLOGY FOCUS AREA 1
CCUS & carbon removal solutions
- Carbon capture (including Direct Air Capture and Direct Ocean Capture)
- Carbon dioxide utilization (synthetic fuels, green chemicals, food & drink, long-duration solutions such as building materials, and other industry)
- Carbon dioxide transportation and storage, including efficiencies in the carbon dioxide value chain
TECHNOLOGY FOCUS AREA 2
Low carbon hydrogen
- Production of zero or low-carbon hydrogen (e.g. green, blue, turquoise); natural hydrogen
- Hydrogen transport and storage
- Utilisation of zero or low-carbon hydrogen to replace fossil fuels (excluding transport applications)
TECHNOLOGY FOCUS AREA 3
Alternative fuels and green chemicals
- E-fuels and sustainable fuels (for aviation, maritime and heavy goods road transport applications)
- Low-carbon power trains for transport applications (excluding passenger road vehicles)
- Power-to-X
- Industrial fuel-switching technologies
- Green ammonia and methanol production, transport, and storage
- Green ammonia and methanol utilization (excluding transport applications)
- Other green chemical production
- Low carbon sources of key metals and minerals for the transition (e.g. battery metals), including deep sea
Note that this area does not cover zero or low-carbon passenger road vehicles, including charging infrastructure.
TECHNOLOGY FOCUS AREA 4
Renewable power
- Offshore renewable power
- Offshore wind
- Wave and tidal
- Offshore geothermal, including reuse of existing wells and the technologies required to do this (e.g. self-sealing cement), and extraction of key metals and minerals from geothermal brine
- Floating solar
- Repurposing of existing offshore infrastructure to generate zero-carbon power
- Offshore energy storage and network infrastructure
- Onshore renewable power
- Onshore wind
- Onshore solar PV
- Onshore geothermal including the reuse of existing wells and the technologies required to do this (e.g. self-sealing cement), and extraction of key metals and minerals from geothermal brine
- Onshore energy storage and network infrastructure, including batteries, and transmission and distribution network technologies
Note that this area does not cover domestic or commercial building applications and other non-industrial applications
TECHNOLOGY FOCUS AREA 5
Digital solutions
- Ocean data handling for offshore renewables
- Digital twins (creation of models and connection to physical assets), including industrial heat
- Applications of data science (broadly termed AI), including generative AI
- Distributed ledger applications
- Applications of satellite imagery and telemetry
- Robotics – with a focus on sustainable robotics
- Unmanned vessels, including subsea
- Drones – long-range, including hydrogen
- Monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) for carbon removal, including carbon storage in nature-based solutions (e.g. enhanced rock weathering)
- Digital solutions for Technology Focus Areas 1-4 and 6 (CCUS & carbon removal solutions, low-carbon hydrogen, alternative fuels and green chemicals, renewable power, decarbonized industrial heat and cooling technologies, others)
TECHNOLOGY FOCUS AREA 6
Decarbonized industrial heat and cooling technologies, and other
- Industrial solar thermal technologies
- Decarbonized industrial & process heat generation, transportation, usage and storage technologies (including offshore applications)
- Decarbonized industrial cooling technologies (including offshore applications)
- Use of waste heat
- Flaring and venting mitigation
- Methane leak detection and mitigation
Note that this area does not cover domestic or commercial building applications and other non-industrial applications
Deadline: 1 October 2023, 23:00 (GMT)
Click HERE To Apply