EDP has just launched the seventh edition of Energy Starter, the program created with the mission of bringing startups from the energy sector together, with experts in the company to develop innovative solutions in the sector. In this edition, the program has been redefined in order to maximize the productivity in the relation between startups and EDP’s business’ units. Therefore, it will be divided in three specialized units of acceleration: Networks of the Future, Renewable Energies and Solutions for the Client. The application period for the startups that want to take part in the first unit of this edition, Future Grids, has already began, and will last until June 1st, through the program’s website.

In the first cycle, startups from all over the world will be invited to present innovative solutions related to the new energy networks, management and operation of the net, interaction with the market, client’s experience, file management and smart cities, among others. After the application process and the evaluation, the selected startups will take part on a bootcamp, developed in collaboration with Beta-I, where, for four months, they will work with EDP to develop new pilot projects. These teams will also have access to a wide range of mentors and experts, that will support the development of relevant proofs of concept and will also have the experience of EDP Ventures.

Every four months, the program will move to the next unit, covering thus all EDP’s value chains. The second unit will focus on renewable energies – area in which EDP has an ambitious goal of developing other 20GW by 2025 – and on hydrogen. The last unit will revolve around solutions for the client and mobility, in which it aims to identify and develop solutions for the consumers, easing the transition to electrical mobility and the adoption of solutions of distributed generation. The program will reach its end with an event, where the solutions developed in the different units will be shared with the ecosystem.

“This year’s edition of Energy Starter is disruptive in the way in which EDP has evolved in its open innovation programs. We are launching three stages, that will allow to go deeper in the search for solutions for each one of our strategic cornerstones”, stated Luís Manuel, EDP Inovação’s director.

In the 2021 edition, Spain was the country with the highest number of startups presented: 98 out of 736. Moreover, of the 9 finalists’ startups, 3 were Spanish:

Iomob: intermodality app for electrical mobility (train, car, bicycles, scooters).

Full&Fast: solution for emergency recharge of electrical vehicles

Hovering: drones for the inspection of galleries in hydraulic facilities.

In the six editions already held, more than 150 startups have taken part in Energy Starter, making more than 80 deals (pilot, rollouts, and investments).

http://theenergystarter.com/