Sustainability-minded students across the Midwest have been working on ventures around advanced batteries, drones, water purification, blockchain for energy and more.
Now eight of those university startups are in the running for $50,000 (and potentially more) from the Clean Energy Trust.
Clean Energy Trust, the Chicago-based energy innovation nonprofit, just announced the eight finalists for its Cleantech University Prize (Cleantech UP) competition, which seeks to support the next generation of energy innovators through mentorship and funding.
Over the next five weeks finalist startups will receive mentorship from Clean Energy Trust experts to refine their business models and pitch, and on February 9th at University of Chicago's Polsky Exchange they'll pitch to a live audience and panel of judges for a shot at a $50,000 prize. The winning team will also move onto the Clean Energy Trust Challenge event in May and compete against other regional Cleantech UP winners at a national Department of Energy event in June.
“The diverse cross-section of universities and technologies represented by the finalists demonstrate that the Midwest’s universities continue to lead on using science and innovation to solve some of the biggest challenges we face,” said Erik Birkerts, CEO of Clean Energy Trust in a statement.
Here's a look at the eight finalists (descriptions per Clean Energy Trust).
Abyss Incorporated, University of Minnesota
Abyss is dedicated to solving the challenges that bring our world to the brink of destruction. Currently it is addressing the problem of global warming by developing advanced energy storage devices, such as lithium air batteries. Lithium air batteries hold promise to speed the transition to the electric economy and a more sustainable globe. Abyss is proud to be bringing these groundbreaking devices to market.
BluSolar, Millikin University
BluSolar is a cleantech startup that offers research and development services pertaining to the cryogenic treatment of photovoltaics. Working in conjunction with 300 Below, the world leader in commercial cryogenic processing solutions, BluSolar provides tailored solutions for solar manufacturers or distributors wishing to enhance their product via cryogenic treatment.
Minnealloy Magnetics, University of Minnesota
Minnealloy Magnetics, an advanced material company, manufactures soft magnetic materials for the applications of transformers and inductors used in power converters, motors, generators and sensors. Minnealloy’s proprietary alloy requires no rare-earth or other exotic and expensive raw materials.
Mohyi Labs, Michigan State University
Rotor blades have propelled our aircraft and helicopters for over 100 years. John Mohyi thought it was time for an update. He invented a bladeless drone by replacing blades with closed impeller vanes and by altering the airflow out of a vortex pattern to generate thrust. Advantages of the technology include the potential to exceed the efficiencies of bladed propulsion and the ability to operate both in the air and in sub-aquatic environments. Among other applications, this patent-pending technology has the potential to power drones that are safer, quieter, and therefore well-suited for the growing consumer and delivery drone industries.
Purpled, Northwestern University
Purpled is an innovative solution which integrates the disinfecting power of a photocatalyst with an energy-efficient LED, thereby enabling the economical reuse of water.
Renw, University of Michigan
Renw triggers the immense resource of residential demand response through simplification of the existing value chain that can significantly improve our environment and the way we interact with our energy consumption. Renw’s customers and/or partners can tap into flexible capacity “on call” at the time and location of their preference. Participating households enjoy a free and simple interface based on social networking and gamification to decrease their electricity consumption.
RVS Rubber Solutions, Case Western Reserve University
Every year 100 million pounds of tire components rejected from production enter landfills. RVS Rubber Solutions has solved this problem using its RVS Tech, which saves these otherwise unrecyclable components and processes out the rubber and steel from within them in a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly way.
Wattcoin Labs, Illinois Institute of Technology / University of Wisconsin-Madison
Wattcoin Labs is the first Platform as a Service (PaaS) that brings together energy and its value as one for the world’s most efficient transactions. Wattcoin applies leading edge blockchain enabled solutions for energy billing, payments, finance, and carbon value exchange.
