Cleantech Insights

Between a Rock and Hard Place: Commercializing CO2 Through Mineralization

Louis Brasington
Posted on by Louis Brasington
The geosphere refers to the solid materials found within the Earth that contain a vast number of different minerals. Just as a sponge can hold liquid, these minerals can hold huge volumes of carbon. An estimated 2000 times more carbon is stored within the geosphere than in the atmosphere, oceans and biosphere combined. This natural storage bank offers us a solution to permanently hold CO2 through a process known as CO2 mineralization. This process refers to a chemical reaction that occurs... Read More »

We Wanted Flying Cars, and They Gave Us… Flying Cars! Catching up with Lilium

Josh Gilbert
Posted on by Josh Gilbert
Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) cars have been in the public’s imagination from the cartoon The Jetsons in the 60s to movies like Blade Runner, Star Wars and even the Weasley’s Flying Ford Anglia in Harry Potter. Where imagination leads, innovators create - and now we have growing competition to commercialize electric VTOL (eVTOL) vehicles that will change the face of individual transportation. At our Cleantech Forum Europe last month in Antwerp, we had the pleasure of welcoming Patrick Nathen,... Read More »

Disrupting the solar industry – Talking perovskite with Saule Technologies

Louis Brasington
Posted on by Louis Brasington
Disruption was one of the key themes at this year’s Cleantech Forum Europe in Antwerp. We explored some of the industries that are poised for change, driven by advancements in next generation technologies. One of these technologies was perovskite solar, which is seen as a wonder material that has the potential to really shake up the solar industry. Consequently, we decided to speak with a company who is very active in the space to give our readers an up to... Read More »

Meatless sliders at White Castle, Mars bars with added protein – what’s happening in protein innovation?

Chris Sworder
Posted on by Chris Sworder
Over a year ago, we outlined in this blog how various innovators are tackling the problems that are affecting the protein value chain. The analysis a year ago concentrated on meat alternatives and innovators that were bringing down the resource intensity of certain parts of the protein supply chain by using insects or other methods. The problem, highlighted then, was that “food-related greenhouse gas emissions could account for half of the emissions the world can afford if global warming is... Read More »

Advanced Manufacturing – A Preview of Our Upcoming Power Breakfast

Leo Zhang
Posted on by Leo Zhang
From our most recent Quarterly Investment Monitor data, the Industrial & Manufacturing industry group continues to attract a considerable amount of investments in the first quarter of 2018, capturing 17% of the total deal volume in cleantech innovation. Total deal volume and dollar amount in the first quarter dropped following the spike at the end of 2017; nevertheless, overall investment trend still shows an ever increasing deal activity in this industry group. The Industrial & Manufacturing industry group encompasses a... Read More »

Blockchain in Energy & Industry Raises $1 Billion – and Heads into Challenging Times

Jules Besnainou
Posted on by Jules Besnainou
Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of keynoting the second edition of EventHorizon (EH), the largest conference on blockchain in the energy space. The bar for this event was set impossibly high after the last edition paved the way for a year of extraordinary developments in the space. The EH team delivered an even more impressive production, turning an old Berlin power station into a futuristic spaceship, and spoiling us with shows of lights, violins and acrobatics – not... Read More »

A Trillion Dollar Prize – Who will be the winners and losers in the new mobility paradigm?

Josh Gilbert
Posted on by Josh Gilbert
Business models in the transportation sector have stayed largely consistent over the past century, but today we are seeing a paradigm shift that is challenging the established order. Incumbents, both the old guard of auto OEMs and the nouveau riche TNCs, are facing a confluence of new systemic models and technologies challenging their core offerings. One of the key drivers of these systemic changes are autonomous and self-driving technologies. The brains of a vehicle, in the form of either radar or... Read More »

Biostimulants – the nexus of biotechnology and fertilizer

Chris Sworder
Posted on by Chris Sworder
As we look forward to welcoming some of the leading thinkers in bio-based chemical and agricultural innovation at Cleantech Forum Europe in Antwerp on May 14-16, we thought we would take a look at one leading technology that is set to have an impact in the agriculture & food industry - biostimulants. What are Biostimulants? It has taken some time to identify biostimulants as its own market. An article from 2015 highlights the difficulty of defining a biostimulant as opposed to a... Read More »

From Bioplastics To Plastic Alternatives – Recent Investment Snapshot Of Alternative Packaging Solutions

Leo Zhang
Posted on by Leo Zhang
The chemical sector is facing increasingly stricter environmental regulations and the old school business model of selling petroleum-based chemicals in bulk has reached its plateau. Consumers are also becoming more involved in sustainability, demanding more green products from manufacturers. Plastic is a classic example to illustrate the significant environmental effects the use of petroleum-based chemicals. A UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) studied showed that more than 8 million tons of plastic are being dumped in our oceans each year, while the... Read More »

Securing IoT for the Clean Economy: A review of product trends through recent deal activity

Troy Ault
Posted on by Troy Ault
On March 15, in its first announcement of sanctions against Russian actors, the Trump administration formally acknowledged attempted cyber attacks on US electricity grid infrastructure. Prevention, detection and response to such attacks have been improving ever since the first known cyber-attack successful in disrupting grid service (also attributed to Russian actors) occurred in Ukraine in December 2015. It’s not just the Kremlin; today, utility folks we’ve spoken to say that attempts at cyber-infiltration of physical infrastructure are understood to be... Read More »