Call for International Energy Innovators

23 September 2011

UK ENERGY LEADERS CALL OUT TO INNOVATORS WORLDWIDE

INTERNATIONAL CALL FOR ENERGY INNOVATORS 2011 IS LAUNCHED

Trial your innovations on high and low voltage UK power distribution networks and work with leading energy companies to develop and trial your technology

Are you developing a technology or service with the potential to revolutionise electricity transmission, distribution and efficiency of use by customers? Are you looking to trial new smart grid or network technologies on the UK power networks? Perhaps you are looking for innovation finance for power network products? If so, find out more about the Energy Innovation Centre’s ‘International Call for Energy Innovators 2011’ initiative.

Launched today, this scheme helps suitable technology providers to enter the UK power market by offering a range of support services including access to funding for product development, opportunities to test innovations on high and low voltage UK power networks and establish relationships with potential customers.

The Energy Innovation Centre is the UK’s leading facility dedicated to supporting businesses or individuals with a bright idea in the energy sector and is the only facility in the UK that partners with five of the UK’s leading electricity distribution companies Northern Powergrid, Electricity North West, ScottishPower Energy Networks, Scottish & Southern Energy and UK Power Networks, who work closely with innovators across the world to take concepts to the stage of commercialisation.

Denise Massey, Director of the Energy Innovation Centre, said: “We estimate that up to £500m of development finance could be available for energy innovation in the UK over the next five years, which presents a huge opportunity for energy innovators across the globe. We want to hear from innovators with early stage or existing technologies with the potential to revolutionise UK energy transmission and distribution, such as those which can improve the energy supply process, manage demand, encourage more efficient use of energy in the home and workplaces and increase the take up of renewables.”

The UK power industries operate power networks with a replacement value of £150bn and invest £1.5bn per annum on maintaining and growing their power networks. The Energy Innovation Centre team is already working with innovators in the UK, Ireland, Canada and New Zealand and has recently received enquiries from the USA, UAE, India, France, Sweden and Russia.         

Award-winning Irish company FMC-Tech – acquired by General Electric in July 2011- is one such company receiving support from the Energy Innovation Centre. The team at the Centre have been working with FMC-Tech in the development of its innovative smart grid compatible real-time power line monitoring technology since November 2008 and has had an instrumental role in the growth of the business culminating in its acquisition by a world leader in energy products and technologies. (see case study)

The ‘International Call for Energy Innovators 2011’ is open to both early stage development and existing technologies with the potential for deployment within the energy industry. It could even be a technology that is already operational in another industry, such as telecoms or retail.  The Centre is particularly interested in innovations which encourage efficient energy use by customers.

Electricity distribution companies, referred to in the UK as distribution network operators or DNOs, have a number of roles including maintaining the performance and safe condition of the networks, restoring supply quickly should a fault occur, operating telephone systems in relation to network faults and providing new connections to the network.

Mark Drye, Director of Asset Management, for Northern Powergrid, said: “We are delighted to launch the ‘International Call for Energy Innovators 2011’ in conjunction with the Energy Innovation Centre. Northern Powergrid’s network covers 25,000 square kilometres and consists of more than 67,000 substations, 29,000 km of overhead line and 62,000 km of underground cable. We would be particularly interested to learn of innovations which address demand management and encourage the smarter use of power.”

Mike Kay, Network Strategy Director at Electricity North West, added: “We hope the ‘International Call for Energy Innovators 2011 will result in the discovery of some truly industry-changing technologies. As an organisation responsible for supplying electricity to over 2.4 million homes and businesses in the North West of England, we are always looking for improved methods of monitoring the performance of energy networks, detecting and identifying the location of faults, and more generally, increasing the lifespan of our assets.”

Mark Mathieson, Managing Director of Networks at Scottish & Southern Energy, said: “Scottish and Southern Energy has plans to invest between £1.5bn and £1.7bn in each of the next four years in areas including electricity networks.  The International Call for Energy Innovators initiative gives innovators around the world the chance to shape future of energy distribution here in the UK. We would like to see innovations which encourage community engagement in local energy generation and more effective energy use and storage.”

ScottishPower Energy Networks is responsible for transporting electricity from the major power stations to around 3.5 million homes and business in the southern Scotland and northern England.  Jim Sutherland, Network Development Director at ScottishPower Energy Networks, added: “We are pleased to support the International Call for Energy Innovators campaign and would be very interested in finding applications which enable renewables to be integrated more seamlessly and allow existing infrastructure to carry additional power. The Energy Innovation Centre offers a wide range of services including product development, funding assistance, business support and access to power experts, and is committed to turning energy saving ideas into commercial reality.”

Steve Mockford, Head of Engineering Standards at UK Power Networks, said: “We are delighted to be part of the International Call for Energy Innovators initiative and look forward to seeing further projects being developed through the Energy Innovation Centre.”

For more information about the ‘International Call for Energy Innovators 2011’ or to get an innovators application pack call +44 (0)151 347 2433, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . The first call for International Energy Innovators deadline is Friday 18th November 2011. UK innovators are welcome to apply.

Join the Energy Innovation Centre group on LinkedIn and follow us on Twitter @EIC_UK

CASE STUDY:

General Electric purchases company supported by Energy Innovation Centre

Irish energy company FMC-Tech is a shining example of the success that can be achieved with support from the Energy Innovation Centre.  Just two and a half years after contacting the Centre for help, FMC-Tech had a proven smart-grid compatible technology with global scope - and in July 2011 the company was acquired by industry giant General Electric.

FMC-Tech is now gearing up for large-scale deployment of its intelligent real-time line monitoring system, in a move set to benefit both the wide scale energy industry and consumers. FMC-Tech’s leading edge technology improves power line management and fault detection, bringing greater efficiency and reduced costs. Mike McCormack, founder of FMC-Tech, explained that the Energy Innovation Centre and its partner Distribution Network Operators have played an instrumental role in the company’s success to date.

Mike McCormack said: “I have always believed 100% in my team and our technology, but given the difficult economic climate and the scaling required to grow the business, at times it felt like we had an impossible task ahead. The Energy Innovation Centre not only helped us to raise substantial funding through the Innovation Funding Incentive (IFI) scheme and develop the technology commercially and technically, but gave us all kinds of general business support and acted as that all important sounding board for ideas.”

FMC-Tech continues to work closely with three of the Energy Innovation Centre’s partner distribution network operators; Electricity North West, ScottishPower Energy Networks and Scottish & Southern Energy through the IFI initiative. And these companies and their customers will be first to benefit from the roll out of the technology.  Mike McCormack said: “The work we were doing with the Energy Innovation Centre and DNOs as an IFI funded project brought us very much into the public domain, and caught the attention of the industry. We formed a decision as a company, because of the technology’s international scope, to actively look for a partner to optimise the adoption of the technology globally. The completion of the deal with GE is an excellent outcome for the management and shareholders of the company and we are now in the process of integrating the company and technology into GE Energy.”

FMC-Tech’s head office remains in County Clare, Ireland, and is part of the Smart Substation segment of the Digital Energy business, led by Juan Macias. The company is now adding additional resources to the business to accelerate development and commercial activities.

Denise Massey, Director of the Energy Innovation Centre, said: “We are the delighted the Centre has been able to contribute to such a successful deal, not only for FMC-Tech, who have worked so hard to create a commercially viable innovation, but for the potential this brings to the energy industry and customers who will all benefit from this smarter power distribution monitoring".