Welcome to the world of innovation in sustainable energy! Recently, Innovate UK’s Energy Catalyst program has awarded over £40 million (around $88 million) in grant funding to a range of projects that aim to harness clean energy, including floating solar and wave energy projects. The grants awarded are part of the Ayrton Fund for clean energy innovation, with this funding provided by the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) through the Transforming Energy Access (TEA) platform, and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
For illustrative purposes only. (Courtesy of DNV)
A total of 64 projects were selected, spanning 24 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and the Indo-Pacific region, all vowing to advance innovation in various areas including next-generation solar, smart green grids, hydrogen, clean cooling, and renewable-based alternatives to fossil fuel generators.
Among the selected projects receiving grant funding and business support is the Solar2Wave project, a collaboration between HelioRec, Cranfield University, Achelous Energy, and local Indonesian partners. The goal of Solar2Wave is to build Indonesia’s first floating solar power plant on the ocean, providing affordable and clean energy to replace diesel generators being used on distant Indonesian islands.
In addition to floating solar, several wave energy projects were also among the winners of Energy Catalyst Round 10, including various projects such as Islanded Wave Powered Microgrid Pilot for Remote Islands in Thailand, Open-Water Demonstration of INWave Wave Energy Converter Power Plant in Vietnam, and Fiji WAVEFLOW by Aeon Energy.
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