LONDON, 8 August 2019 – Following months of scouting and preparation, the 2019 edition of Japan Energy Challenge took place on 5-8 August in London. We invited 20 participants to our Venture Competition, giving them the chance to meet our sponsors and discuss their proposals to bring a collaborative project to life.
The dozens of meetings between the executives of 9 of Japan’s largest and most innovative energy sector companies and some of the world’s most exciting startups helped our sponsors get a clear picture of each company’s capabilities, with the ultimate goal of implementing a project in Japan.
In the end, our sponsors chose four companies out of the 20 Venture Competition participants to receive a special prize – a fully sponsored trip to Japan to continue discussions and sign deals. Heliatek (Germany), EVBox (Netherlands) and KiWi Power (UK) and Connected Energy (UK) were selected as winners based on product fit and entrance plan to the Japanese market, as well as strategic synergies with the sponsors.
Connected Energy provide energy storage units comprised of second-life EV batteries for use in commercial, industrial, and utility applications.
Mark Bailey, CCO of Connected Energy had this to say: “We are thrilled and honoured to be a winner of the Japan Energy Challenge and be recognized by the executives of Japan’s largest and most innovative energy sector companies. Our status as world leaders in the field of utilising second life electric vehicle batteries is enhanced by this award and we look forward to now be working closely with the Sponsors. Our mission is to catalyse smarter, sustainable approaches to energy storage and we believe the virtuous cycle of the EV batteries is a game changer for energy transition and the circular economy.”
Read our pre-competition interview with Connected Energy here.
EVBox build easy-to-use and durable charging solutions (hardware and software) for electric cars. It has provided 80,000+ charge points in over 55 countries, making it Europe’s largest charging solution provider.
Bjorn Utgard, Director of New Markets at EVBox commented: “We are very proud to have been selected winners and delighted to be able to continue working with the sponsors. EVBox look forward to propelling the decarbonisation of the local transport sector, while providing smart electric vehicle charging solutions to address some of the challenges faced in Japan’s rapidly shifting energy landscape.”
As technology leader in organic electronics, Heliatek develops, produces and distributes large area organic PV solar films. The HeliaSol® flexible solar module targets the retrofit market and can be easily applied on existing building structures. The tailor-made solar film HeliaFilm® is developed to partner with the building and construction material industry, for integration into façade or roof system elements
Spiros Christaras, Business Development Lead for Heliatek said: “Japan Energy Challenge was a very well-organised event, the connections we’ve made during the event have helped us take real steps towards commercialising our “ready-to-use” Organic Solar Film HeliaSol in the Japanese market.”
Read our pre-competition interview with Heliatek here.
KiWi Power’s platform is active in over 10 countries globally, optimising and monetising over 1GW of distributed energy assets – including over 50MW of battery energy storage.
Nima Tabatabai, International Market Development Leader at KiWi Power commented: “Japan’s energy market is undergoing massive change and there is huge scope for our technology to help Japanese energy companies stand out by offering valuable new products to their customers. Winning the Japan Energy Challenge is valuable recognition of our platform’s unique capabilities and will help us to accelerate its deployment in the Japanese energy market.”
What’s next?
This isn’t the end of the journey for the participants in Japan Energy Challenge 2019 – the projects are just getting started! Connected Energy, EVBox, Heliatek and Kiwi Power will be visiting Japan in the coming months to kickoff their projects, and the other 23 attendees have laid the groundwork for their own engagements. We will be watching (and, in some cases, assisting) closely to ensure the projects are a success.
Additionally, this doesn’t mean that other participants in this year’s edition of Japan Energy Challenge won’t still have the chance to bring their projects to fruition in Japan. With the cohort being well received, sponsors are still happy to collaborate with any of the companies who match their interest.
We look forward to putting together a bigger and more successful event in 2020. Scouting starts now, follow this space for updates!
If you want to know more about this year’s event or are interested in participating for Japan Energy Challenge 2020, please write to us at info@japanenergychallenge.com.