Material technology for reduced heating needs in building

The innovation is a silver-based alloy nanomaterial for use in low-emissivity (low-e) glass. Low-e glass windows have a microscopically thin coating that is transparent and reflects heat minimizing the amount of infrared and ultraviolet light that is transmitted through the window. The innovation purportedly allows more natural light to enter through the window compared to other low-e coatings currently in use, without compromising the window’s thermal insulation.

Sweden

27

Optimized tap nozzles saving water

Conventional taps allow water to gush out at around 10–12 liters per minute – but only a fraction of that water is actually used for washing hands or rinsing plates. Altered:Nozzle “atomizes” the water, breaking it up into a high speed dense mist made out of millions of individual drops. The speed of the water is also increased up to 50 km/h. This way the user gets in contact with, and uses, every single drop of water coming out of the tap. The result is only 2% of the flow compared to a regular tap. It consists of a simple retro-fit that can be installed in less than a minute in most existing taps in the world today. This design is said to significantly reduce water consumption as well as energy.

Sweden

26

Converting desert to fertile soil

Through Desert Control’s patented mixing process, Liquid NanoClay (LNC) combines clay and water and is then spread onto sandy soil. It enables the soil to retain water, turning desert into fertile soil. Production of LNC happens on site. Cultivating sandy soil into fertile land normally takes from seven to fifteen years, whereas Desert Control’s LNC accomplishes that in just hours. One application of LNC lasts a minimum of five years and only natural products are used during production, without the use of chemicals.

Norway

26

Optimization of truck-based delivery systems

Over half of the delivery trucks currently in use has free space in the cargo. CargoSpace24 seek to minimize the number of trucks and trips needed to deliver products by lining up the needs of both transporting and buying companies. This is done using a GPS-based digital system where clients can find transportation vehicles with free space in real time, thus minimizing the economic and environmental impact while also allowing companies to get customizable transportation solutions that suits their needs and requirements.

Sweden

24

Platform for decentralized energy exchange

GreenSync has developed a platform for decentralized energy exchange (deX) to dramatically increase networks’ hosting capacity for renewable energy. GreenSync provides a software solution for high penetration of intermittent renewable electricity sources. The deX solution increases control and visibility that is easily lost when adding decentralized electricity sources to the grid. With deX, the use of the intermittent electricity could be optimized, and investment costs can be reduced. By using deX, more renewable energy from decentralized sources can hence be used, which would reduce the emissions from peak load demand.

Australia

23

Water recirculating shower

Orbital Systems developed a real-time water purification technology, implemented in its recirculating shower which results in domestic water savings. In the shower, the water from the drain is collected, purified and looped back to be re-used, enabling water and energy savings. According to the company, their solution results in up to 90% of the water and 80% of the heating energy being saved, while at the same time delivering cleaner water compared to conventional showers. The technology is based on what is used today by NASA for space missions.

Sweden

21

Electric powered taxi services

Ekorent provides a taxi hailing service based on electric vehicles and renewable energy, and is therefore environmentally friendly when the electricity comes from renewable energy sources. The service, called Nopia ride, is intended to be an easy to hail, affordable and 100 % emission-free way to get around. Nopia is now available in Nairobi, Kenya. Their mission is to reduce harmful air-pollution and offer affordable electric rides to everyone.

Finland

21

Radiant cooling solution for the building sector

Most commercial buildings have a centralized Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system to meet the indoor cooling demand. The cooling distribution in these systems is a significant contributor to energy consumption in commercial buildings and uses air as a heat transfer medium. Oorja Energy’s “Radiant Cooling Solution” increases efficiencies in cooling distribution. The solution operates on chilled water supply between 16–20°C as compared to conventional centralized HVAC systems that require chilled water supply at 7°C. This leads to significant savings in power as the conventional compressor has to work more to produce chilled water at this low temperature.

India

21

Modular thermal energy storage units

ECO-TECH CERAM (ETC) is an innovative company specialized in thermal storage, energetic efficiency, and industrial wastes valuation recovery and advanced materials characterization. ETC has produced ceramic materials with great thermal properties. The materials have been used to develop a new heat recovery method–EcoStock. Eco-Stock is a turnkey eco-efficient thermal storage solution for high-temperature thermal applications.

France

18

Redox flow battery for energy storage

Delectrik Systems has developed energy storage products based on vanadium redox flow battery technology. Unlike solid-state batteries, such as lead/lithium, a flow battery has a simple one-electron reaction in the aqueous phase, which gives it a very long cycle and shelf life with the potential to match the lifetime of renewables (25 years). The cost of the product is low enough that Delectrik claims it is competitive on upfront capex even at low manufacturing volumes compared to other solid-state batteries. The lifecycle cost could also be significantly lower than other competing technologies.

India

17