Ten South African Clean-Tech Start-ups Selected to Compete for the Energy Investment Village

The Green Energy Africa Summit (GEAS) has selected ten local clean-tech start-ups in South Africa which will compete in the finals of the Energy Investment Village. The pitching event is a one-day and parallel session of the GEAS that aims to promote sustainable and green solutions to the dual issue of climate and energy crises affecting Africa.

The Energy Investment Village is organized by the Saldanha Bay Innovation Campus (SBIC), an initiative of the Saldanha Bay Industrial Development Zone, in partnership with the Johannesburg-based advisory firm Research Institute for Innovation and Sustainability (RIIS).

The clean-tech start-ups and entrepreneurs will showcase their sustainable energy and supply innovations at the event that will be held on 5th October 2022, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre 2 (CTICC 2). The finalists will be invited to a training session for the preparation of the event and help them to pitch perfectly.

The winners of this competition will be able to present their projects to potential investors at the end of the summit, which takes place from 18-21 October. These highly influential investors collectively manage investments worth more than $100 billion.

The ten clean-tech finalists for Energy Investment Village are Atlanthia, Brayfoil Technologies, HydroFuel Solutions, Impact-free Water, Keren Energy, Oceanergy, PWK Waste Management and Recycling, SeaH4, SlideLuvre, and Zimi Charge.

Kaashifah Beukes, CEO of Freeport Saldanha, commented, “The pitching event allows investors, entrepreneurs, and start-ups to find one another. There are compelling, innovative, and investment-ready clean energy initiatives that can generate attractive returns. So it’s an event win-win for everyone in the industry.”

Among the finalists, Atlanthia will showcase a solar and wind energy storage solution to provide electricity for hydrogen electrolysis, desalination, air separation, and green ammonia production processes. SlideLuvre will pitch its double-sided solar slats made of high-efficiency solar cells that can generate electricity even when shaded.

Keren Energy is competing for its 100 kW solar PV system-powered green hydrogen plant, located in the Western Cape. Another start-up that the jury will be looking at is HydroFuel Solutions, which is proposing its green hydrogen production projects via plasma waste gasification and electrolysis.

According to Paul Sinclair, GEAS Vice President-Energy, the summit seeks to connect South Africa’s growing demand for innovative green energy with workable, bankable, local solutions. This is facilitated by the Energy Investment Village, which ensures the covering of all good, viable ideas for green and climate innovations.