InnoEnergy start-ups have created 1,741 jobs and have brought energy access to 56,000 people in developing countries

Impact report hails innovation engine’s pivotal role in Europe’s clean energy transition

Copenhagen, Denmark – InnoEnergy, Europe’s sustainable energy engine supported by the EIT, has launched its inaugural impact report today at The Business Booster (TBB) in Copenhagen. The report reveals that InnoEnergy’s work supporting energy start-ups is having a direct impact on Europe’s clean energy transition, with its start-ups having created 1,741 jobs across Europe and brought energy access to 56,000 people in developing countries since 2011.

Other key findings revealed in the report include that InnoEnergy´s assets will generate 1,147 GWh of power from clean energy sources, save 809.5m€ in energy costs and reduce carbon emissions by a total of 5.5m tons over 25 years, the equivalent to removing 47,000 cars from the road.

Elena Bou, Innovation Director at InnoEnergy, said during an exclusive press conference at TBB: “It is amazing to see the impact we are achieving together and to cement our position as the trusted innovation partner – guiding businesses on their journeys. Our 200 start-ups have brought innovative technologies to life that are meeting the energy challenges of our changing society. Whether it is by reducing greenhouse emissions or creating jobs, these companies are creating a noticeable impact on the way Europe thinks about, develops and uses sustainable energy.”

Recent start-up success stories from the report include the Swedish wave power technology company CorPower Ocean, which has developed and tested a technology to turn waves into electricity with the aid of buoys.

Patrik Möller, CEO of CorPower, said during the press conference: “Wave energy is a huge opportunity for Europe to establish a new industry, with significant job creation and export business potential. In our recent deployment in Orkney, Scotland, we have just demonstrated fundamental improvements in survivability and efficiency.” CorPower is planning to build its first pilot arrays from 2021 to 2023 and pre-commercial farms from 2023.

Pro-Drone, the leading developer of automated drones for wind turbine blade inspections, on the other hand, is reducing the costs for onshore wind turbine services by €1,000 per inspection.

André Moura, Founder & CEO of Pro-Drone, told the journalists: “We have already carried out over 2,300 blade inspections in Europe and South America in our first year of commercial operation. We are proud to be delivering robust, high quality and safe inspections to over 15 clients with ambitious plans to grow globally in 2019.” Pro-Drone´s latest feature is an automatic damage identification tool that is helping inspectors to reduce their assessment time while improving their accuracy and robustness.

Lars Aagard, CEO of the Danish Energy Association, added: “Denmark has a strong history of green energy and innovation. The first modern windmill was born in Denmark and we also built the first offshore wind farms. These green milestones have only been possible because of a partnership between industry and government creating a stable framework for investors in the green solutions of tomorrow.”

Held over two days, TBB is the only event that brings together sustainable energy innovators, established industry players, investors and public sector institutions. The sixth edition, taking place in Copenhagen on 17 -18 October, focuses on the theme “The Future is Now”. InnoEnergy has welcomed more than 700 attendees from over 40 countries to join 150 cutting edge sustainable energy innovations.