As part of the SET Award 2019, the top 100-ranked start-ups who applied for the SET Award were rewarded the opportunity to participate and showcase as part of the Innovation Hub at the 24th World Energy Congress (WEC24) 2019 in Abu Dhabi. Sponsored by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, this incredible opportunity includes travel and accommodation expenses, and a showcase space for the SET100 at the congress.
In the lead up to WEC24, we asked the participating SET100 start-ups to answer a few questions to provide potential partners the opportunity to learn more about them and to also help other start-ups learn from their experiences. We thank them for their work toward the global energy transition and for sharing with us the following insights.
#SET100 Start-up: Ecosolar Energie Inteligente (Brazil)
Ecosolar works as a photovoltaic system integrator as well as part–time supplier. They go through all the steps to ensure that clients can get the solution which will bring economic gains and other benefits. Their mission consists of bringing clean, renewable and self-sufficient energy into people’s lives and daily routines.
Traveling, pitching, partaking in meetings, and networking requires considerable time and effort. Other than perhaps being given a blank check, what is the best case scenario or result you as a start-up hope to get out of participating in initiatives such as the SET platform and the Innovation Hub at the 24th World Energy Congress in Abu Dhabi?
EcoSolar expects to find partners who are willing to invest in the Container EcoSolar®, a transportable solar power generation solution that replaces the diesel generator (widely used in small and medium-sized farms in Brazil); thus, contributing to the better use of land and water (reducing hunger), providing clean and affordable energy, reducing CO2 emissions and equalizing inequality between small and large agricultural producers. Also, EcoSolar expects to meet partners in energy storage to improve Container EcoSolar®.
Given the stage of your start-up and your particular focus/sector/technology, what is one challenge that you have overcome or lesson that you have learned that may be valuable to other similar start-ups?
If you know you are doing the right thing and working together to build a better world, be patient and work hard to reap the results. If you are from a developing country, open up to the rest of the world and find countries and companies willing to invest in your initiatives. In Brazil, government is not widely willing to work with private companies, so looking for solutions abroad was the best option to boost our confidence and to show we are in the right direction, helping us to not give up.
What is one of the main obstacles or regulations that you have had to overcome prior to, or in preparation of market entry into your given business environment?
For sure the lack of governmental incentive or the difficulty to reach the existing projects (there are few for many initiatives) is our biggest problem to develop the Container EcoSolar®, a transportable solar power generation solution that replaces the diesel generator (widely used in small and medium-sized farms in Brazil). This obviously limits access to financial resources, but also creates a hostile environment in which it is easy to give up when we hear the first ‘no’.
Thanks for reading and thanks again Ecosolar Energia Inteligente. More information about them can be found here: www.ecosolar.com.br
More about the SET100, including a full list of each SET100 start-up can be found here.
