• Tech4Good Challenge #1: Energy for Ukraine closed its open call
• Out of an impressive 75 applicants, 6 selected sustainable energy solutions have been added to the initiative’s official catalogues
• Now, Tech4Good is to help them secure funding, streamline regulations, and leverage key partnerships to implement energy solutions for Ukraine

This January marked the successful conclusion of Tech4Good’s first Open Call. This is an initiative aimed at seeking out innovative solutions to the energy crisis that Ukraine is facing this winter as one of the results of Russia’s military aggression against the country.

Innovative solutions from tech startups are of obvious benefit to the people of Ukraine as the startups, on the other hand, get a unique opportunity to test their solutions in extreme field conditions. To facilitate seeking out the solutions to Ukraine’s Energy crisis, the Embassy of Ukraine in the Kingdom of Spain, F6S Platform, and Sikorsky Challenge Ukraine joined forces to start the Tech4Good Global Challenge #1: Energy for Ukraine.

Scalable and Sustainable Innovation to Energize Ukraine

‘We were looking for innovations in energy to be ready for implementation in Ukraine. The scouting was done among startups and SMEs who already have a working prototype or ready-to-market solutions. But first of all, the search was focused on engineers who via innovation are open to helping people in Ukraine and potentially to other people across the globe in critical situations,’ Tech4Good Challenge #1: Energy for Ukraine’s International Project Lead Tatiana Skydan tells ITKeyMedia.

Tech4Good’s first Open Call concluded on November 15th 2024, by which time an impressive 76 applicants expressed their interest in remedying Ukraine’s energy crisis. The initiative’s Expertise took roughly two months to select the most fitting participants. The key principles for selection were:

• high manufacturability of solutions;
• commitment to help Ukraine and supporting its energy system;
• understanding of the business model of solutions to achieve long-term goals.

The Top Six

After a thorough evaluation process and interviews, six projects have been chosen to get featured in Tech4Good’s official catalog of energy innovations for potential implementation in Ukraine. Their cutting-edge solutions address Ukraine’s current energy crisis while also offering adaptability for other regions that may be affected by man-made or natural disasters.

BIO2CHP from Greece enables the use of raw residual biomass for on-site and small-scale heat and power production, transforming waste into a valuable commodity while decreasing energy and waste disposal costs. The sustainability is a core of the technology, making it a perfect match for the agricultural sector of Ukraine.

The possibility to use the result of our work so far in order to provide value and actually help was definitely a trigger point to apply.

In terms of actual value, we expect to find a way and unlock value, helping people through the use of our systems for decentralized/remote energy production applications. Business-wise, we expect to find partners that could help us unlock the potential and go through the next steps of product development, i.e. industrialization and market entry.

– Dr Stefanos Tsiakmakis, Co-Founder and CEO at BIO2CHP

Icelandic Icewind‘s micro vertical-axis wind turbines to power communication towers, weather and seismic stations, emergency systems, lighting, and on-grid and off-grid lodgings. All products are tested in Iceland, one of the windiest places on Earth. The founder revealed strong dedication to Ukraine from day 0 of the full-scale war, sustainability at the core of the technology, impressive track, and readiness to test turbines in windy conditions of Ukraine.

Marek Alliksoo, the CEO at SKYCORP, whom I met in Tartu as part of our NATO DIANA program shared with me the F6S posting. The biggest reason for our interest is to support the freedom efforts in Ukraine. IceWind has donated our patented wind turbines in the past and with our new microgrid platform that we call SKIPP, we felt we had the opportunity to provide even greater solutions for good. 

Tech4Good revealed themselves as wonderful partners and we are just getting started. They will be able to open doors to customers and people who could really use our solutions. It is these introductions and interactions that will allow IceWind to provide our products to help in a small way to do some good in the region.

– Dr Stephen Drake, CEO at Icewind

Ireland’s GKinetic Energy Ltd offers simple, modular turbines that generate clean, reliable energy from free-flowing water. The team’s core values match with Ukrainian resilience, and a proven track and several success cases in other countries make it a great fit in the Ukrainian landscape.

Having reviewed the challenge requirements and goals we felt our technology was an excellent match as the clean, reliable energy in free-flowing water remains mostly untapped all around the world despite being a predictable and reliable source for local, secure energy generation. Our offering of quick, modular water turbines that can be deployed across a large variety of water resources (both natural rivers and man-made canals) deliver consistent, locally owned and controlled energy generation in places where it’s needed most.  

Getting selected as a finalist has already boosted and expanded our network. Our key expectation that aligns perfectly with the goals of the Tech4Good challenge is to get our equipment deployed and operational in real-world applications, delivering critical power where it is urgently required and showcasing measurable positive impacts. As we face war and conflict, the climate crisis, and growing uncertainty about future energy supply and security, we must be doing all we can to mobilize all of our local, clean energy resources. Giving power and control back to our local communities and businesses by helping them unlock their natural assets. We are excited for the next phases of the challenge.

– Vincent Mc Cormack, Founder and CEO at GKinetic Energy Ltd

PhotonSolarSystems from Italy offers a revolutionary device capable of providing reliable energy in any condition, especially during natural disasters and emergencies. The team comprises innovation-driven engineers who specialize in portable technologies designed for emergency scenarios and are ready to showcase their expertise and can adapt their products to meet the specific needs of Ukraine.

The Ukraine call and this country’s energy needs caught our eye, so we decided to pursue this call and help civilians to meet their energy needs after the intense shellings that destroyed the country’s energy grid. Our project fit greatly and the time was right, so we decided to pursue this good challenge.

Our expectations are to find good soil for our devices to be used in emergencies, and there’s no better chance to test them for a good cause. Of course, we are still on a long way to meet all the emergency needs, but we are sure that with Tech4Good’s help, we can overcome such challenging problems as fundings and real-life testing to deliver the product as fast as we can for the good of Ukrainians.

– Tommaso Milone, Founder and CEO at PhotonSolarSystems

Japanese-Luxembourgish AC Biode presents onsite methane power generation, alongside AC Biode Plastalyst—the solution for plastic and organic waste catalytic decomposition into hydrogen and more. The highly professional and well-seasoned team shares the commitment to sustainability at the core of the technology and a clear dedication to helping Ukraine on behalf of Japan and Luxembourg.

Before applying for Tech4Good, AC Biode had already worked with Ukraine’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, and the Government of Japan. Japan experienced a lot of natural disasters, such as typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanos, etc. and is quite familiar with reconstruction. Based in Japan and Luxembourg, AC Biode is keen to contribute to rebuilding Ukraine as soon as possible.

While we have technologies and are eager to contribute, we need local support, technology and commercial partners, locations, arrangements, mentoring, and more. The program significantly helps our cleantech startup tackle the rebuilding effectively.

– Tadashi Kubo, CEO at AC Biode

The Spanish company Xizan Energy developed MY SOLAR PLANT—a dual-use solar generator for use at home and wherever you go. The founder impressed Tech4Good with his energy, his immediate readiness to share his knowledge, and his eagerness to send his portable and sustainable energy solution to Ukraine as soon as tomorrow.

The program was in search of innovative energy solutions to help Ukrainians in facing their electrical infrastructure destruction, and the ease-of-use and lightness of our solution seems appropriate in such conditions by storing energy for use during blackouts or by bringing the system to localities where power is critically needed.  

Primarily, we expect to find quick ways to bring our system to Ukraine for testing and, if proved useful, to find a quick way to complete its development and industrialization.

– Luis Casla, Founder, CEO, and CTO at Xizan Energy

What’s Next?

The next steps for the Tech4Good Challenge are about securing financial support for the selected companies through donors, VCs, and corporate sponsors. Efforts will also focus on facilitating regulatory processes and enabling the deployment of these technologies in Ukraine. Tech4Good’s close collaboration with the Embassy of Ukraine in the Kingdom of Spain and Sikorsky Challenge Ukraine ensures that these projects receive the necessary backing to create a tangible impact.

Tech4Good facilitates communication and implementation of the selected projects in Ukraine to help people affected by the energy crisis. The initiative’s leverage is the combination of seasoned professionals in various fields, knowing how to navigate the Ukrainian landscape and benefiting a vast network in the public instances, private businesses, and NGOs. Facilitated by the Tech4Good initiative, the funds raised by donors and investors for startups are to be used to finalize projects in both the technological and organizational context.