Start-ups at the World Energy Congress

Start-ups focus on World Energy Congress

From the 9th to 12th September, more than 80 start-ups from the Top 100 list of this year's Start Up Energy Transition (SET) Awards (#SET100) will present their business models at the 24th World Energy Congress of the World Energy Council in Abu Dhabi. The #SET 100 Innovation Hub will present solutions ranging from hydrogen electrolysis and cloud-based energy systems in buildings to sustainable bamboo briquettes, which can make a significant contribution to the success of an integrated energy transition. The participation of the start-ups in Abu Dhabi is made possible by a cooperation between the German Energy Agency (dena), the World Energy Council and the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA).

The SET Innovation Hub is part of the international exhibition at the World Energy Congress for the entire period. During the first three days, each #SET100 start-up will present its innovative solutions for a global energy transition.  The expert audience selects a "Best Of" of the pitches. These disruptive business models will also be the focus of the fourth day of the congress. The "best-of" pitches will be presented to an expert jury and the winners of the SET Award 2019 will discuss with Andreas Kuhlmann, Chief Executive of dena, and Marwan Bin Haidan, Executive Vice President of Innovation & The Future of DEWA, under the motto "Start Up Energy Transition: The power of the bold”. 

Andreas Kuhlmann:

"Together with the #SET100 start-ups in Abu Dhabi, we are delighted to set an example for the global integrated energy transition. We are convinced that start-ups with their innovative business models will play a decisive role in shaping a sustainable energy future. For the #SET100 companies, this is a good opportunity to exchange ideas and forge new links with key-stakeholders and investors."

Many start-ups are already very successful today and are making a great contribution to the generational climate protection project. Accordingly, policy makers should pay attention to strengthening innovative business models and facilitating access to finance and involvement of young entrepreneurs in their policy-making. Because only with the right framework conditions can start-ups unfold their full potential and contribute even more to the success of a sustainable future".

Christoph Frei, Secretary General of the World Energy Council:

"According to our new scenarios we still need greater transition acceleration if we want to achieve climate targets and promoting, delivering and scaling innovation is absolutely key. Together with dena, we are looking for the most promising energy-related start-ups worldwide and are working with them to understand the scope, timeframe and critical success factors of relevant innovation areas. We are delighted that the best candidates of SET 2019 join us here at the 24th World Energy Congress in Abu Dhabi and share their innovation insights and visions."

The kick-off for the next round of the SET Award will take place on September 30th 2019 at a joint event of dena in cooperation with the World Energy Council and the German-Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Stockholm, Sweden. Applications can be submitted up until January 15th, 2020 here

About Start Up Energy Transition (SET) Global Innovation Platform

SET is a global initiative that identifies leading start-ups in the fields of energy transition and climate protection and brings them together with companies, investors and other start-ups. It includes the SET Award, the SET Tech Festival and the #SET100 list. The #SET100 list is compiled once a year from all entries to the SET Award. The companies on the current #SET-100 list come from 31 countries and were selected by an energy and climate change expert jury of the SET network. A total of 450 start-ups from 80 countries applied for the SET Award 2019.

More than 100 partners from politics, business, science and non-governmental organisations from all over the world participate in the SET Global Innovation Platform. The previous round of the SET competition was supported by the partner countries Canada and Sweden, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology and many other partners and sponsors. SET is supported by dena in cooperation with the World Energy Council. Further information on the SET initiative can be found here