Future fuel

Piclo on the value of flexibility marketplaces for energy

Discover the latest episode of Future Fuel featuring our portfolio company Piclo: the next-generation flexibility marketplace for energy. In this episode, CEO James Johnston shares how Piclo is tackling the energy ‚trilemma‘ of decarbonisation, affordability and resilience, by connecting system operators and flexibility providers through a marketplace that streamlines energy distribution.

Piclo’s revolutionary approach is levelling the playing field for energy providers, empowering them to join distribution networks and accelerating the transition to net-zero. Join Jan Palasinski and James Johnston in this fascinating conversation about the future of energy

SOLshare, Sharing electricity and monetizing solar power

SOLshare’s sharing economy approach to mobilizing energy and transport allows solar home system owners and non-owners to start trading electricity in a safe and affordable way. Not only does it make unused energy useful to those who really need it, but it also empowers rural communities to earn a direct income from the sun, or – if they choose to – keep the excess energy to themselves and use it to run extra appliances like a TV, fridge, or computer.

In the latest episode of Future Fuel, Yi Jean Chow, Investment Principal at Future Energy Ventures, caught up with Sebastian Groh, Managing Director of SOLshare, the pioneer of renewable energy-based peer-to-peer (P2P) trading platforms, to discuss off-grid energy systems in emerging markets, the issue and opportunity of excess energy, and why smart P2P grids could be the future for energy utilities globally.

Prisma Photonics, providing a 20/20 vision of large-scale infrastructures

Comprehensive monitoring and maintenance of power grid infrastructure is the backbone of energy delivery. Prisma Photonics’ game-changing solution promises to alleviate the immense pressures on utility and long-range infrastructure operators to keep their assets running smoothly and safely. With a quantum leap in linear infrastructure monitoring, Prisma Photonics merges its Hyper-Scan Fiber Sensing™ technology with machine learning to give operators a 20/20 vision of their assets and drive efficiency and sustainability.

In the latest episode of Future Fuel, Ohad Mamann, Investment Principal at Future Energy Ventures, caught up with Prisma Photonics CEO Dr. Eran Inbar to discuss how Prisma Photonics is solving a fundamental challenge for utility operators, the benefits of its pay-as-you-grow model and the company’s vision of becoming the go-to solution for monitoring any kind of long-range infrastructure.

Nuventura, Fighting the World’s Strongest Greenhouse Gas

Sulphur Hexafluoride (or SF6) is the world’s strongest greenhouse gas – a gas with a global warming potential 25,000 times higher than CO2 – and is having a compounded environmental effect due to its growing use in the energy industry. Here it serves as an insulating medium for gas insulated switchgear (GIS) – essentially like the light switches we have at home, but for the electricity grid. SF6 is a very specific technical product and up until recently, there was no viable alternative to it. Founded in 2017, Berlin-based Nuventura has developed SF6-free GIS technologies that replace SF6 with dry air, providing all the benefits of GIS, without the drawbacks of needing to use SF6.

In the latest episode of Future Fuel, Jan Palasinski, Venture Partner at Future Energy Ventures, caught up with Fabian Lemke, Co-founder and Managing Director of Nuventura, to discuss the long-term environmental impact of SF6, Nuventura’s innovative solution to phase it out and the company’s vision for an efficient and sustainable global power sector.

Year End Special – Human transformation must keep up with digital transformation

The immense trend of ESG investing is driving abundant investment towards the energy transition. Capital is no longer a barrier – there have been a plethora of financial commitments resulting from COP26, while investment into cleantech continues to rise. The Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero now has over $130 trillion of private finance committed to science-based net-zero targets and near-term milestones. However, one key barrier remains in place: the stubborn culture of transformation resistance. Adoption and scaling of available software and digital solutions are nowhere near the speed we need it to be at to avoid catastrophic global warming beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius. Simply put, human transformation is not keeping up with digital transformation.

In this end-of-year special edition of Future Fuel, Russ Shaw, Founder of Tech London Advocates and Global Tech Advocates, caught up with Future Energy Ventures’ Founding and Managing Partners, Jan Lozek and Ines Bergmann-Nolting, to discuss the impact of the ongoing pandemic on the FEV portfolio, the huge role digitalization will play in the energy transition, and visions for 2022 and beyond.

Holo-Light, the “Netflix” for Augmented and Virtual Reality

We live in a world that is facing rapid digital transformation and Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR and VR) are important enablers.  However, the mobile Extended Reality (XR) market does not have the tools it needs to unleash the true potential of these immersive technologies. Holo-Light’s Streaming-as-a-Service platform is designed for mass adaption, providing an ecosystem for XR apps from all segments and industries. It empowers AR/VR use cases that were not scalable or possible before.

In this episode of Future Fuel, Moritz Jungmann, Investment Principal at Future Energy Ventures, sat down with Florian Haspinger, Co-Founder and CEO of Holo-Light, to talk about the growth of the XR market, current challenges, Holo-Light’s “Netflix” for XR apps as the solution, and visions for the future.

Enervee – Delivering shopping behavior change at scale

To help households and individuals cut their energy usage and save money, improving transparency around the environmental sustainability of the products we buy is a must. But getting the right information in front of consumers at scale so they can make informed purchasing decisions is a barrier that needs to be overcome.

In the latest episode of Future Fuel, Konrad Augustin, Partner at Future Energy Ventures, sits down with Matthias Kurwig, Co-Founder & CEO at Enervee, to discuss how Enervee is helping millions of consumers find, purchase and finance the most energy-efficient appliances on the market.

Intertrust – There is no clean energy without clean data

As we move to more renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, the electrical energy value chain is becoming highly complex.  This means data management and utilisation need greater attention and a solution that can support our increasingly decentralised energy system. Data is an integral part of the system, and without clean data, we can’t achieve clean energy.

In the latest episode of Future Fuel, Carolina Soto, Investment Manager at Future Energy Ventures, catches up with Florian Kolb, Intertrust Technologies’ Chief Commercial Officer, to discuss how innovative data technology can be applied to the energy industry. They look at what challenges the industry faces, and Intertrust Technologies’ answer – the ‘Clean Grid’ platform.

Global Tech Advocates – A United Drive on the Road to Net-Zero

Net-zero targets – at national and corporate levels – are announced almost daily. But translating this ambition into reality rests heavily upon collective action to find, fund, and foster innovative start-ups and scale their potentially world-leading solutions. Furthermore, efficient tracking of KPIs is a must.

The technology sector specifically has the tools to be at the forefront of this transition, with the potential to improve impact measurement and management as start-ups drive net-zero innovation in tech ecosystems around the world. Carolina Soto, Investment Manager at Future Energy Ventures, and Russ Shaw, Founder of Tech London Advocates and Global Tech Advocates, discuss the role of global and local ecosystems in driving solutions for a net-zero world.

KUGU – Building Energy Efficiency for Climate Protection

The energy world is changing – we are in the midst of a transition but a smooth onward journey will not be possible without complete transparency and collaboration. In modern building management, utilities must help drive this change by providing granular energy data and partnering with the right digital platforms. In doing so, they will enable the energy transition and empower customers to save energy and use clean sources, while also ensuring their own survival in this fast-moving landscape.

Alexander Vogt, Senior Innovation Manager at E.ON., catches up with Christopher von Gumppenberg, founder and CEO at KUGU, to discuss the challenges of modern building management, as well as the responsibilities and opportunities for utilities in improving the CO2 footprint of buildings.

Deja-vu: Clean-tech Bubble 2.0?

Venture capitalists have driven tech disruption over the past 30 years, and now the energy and industrial sectors are firmly in their sights. Bold innovation and faster than ever market adoption signal the beginning of a paradigm shift, accelerating disruption across the industry.

Carolina Soto, Investment Manager at Future Energy Ventures and Jan Lozek, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Future Energy Ventures, discuss the role of the VC investor as a catalyst of the energy transition, delving into key investment areas, challenges, thoughts on a new clean-tech bubble and visions for the future.

Tado – Tesla of Thermostats

Utility companies must adopt smart climate solutions to ensure the intelligent demand management of connected households – and ultimately a smooth and sustainable energy transition.

Christian Deilmann, co-founder and CPO of tado, and Jan Palasinski, Investment Principal at Future Energy Ventures, sit down to discuss smart technology for home climate control, the opportunities it presents for utilities and its role in shaping an energy future that is decarbonized and digitalized.

powercloud: Creating a Backbone for the Green Revolution

Utilities must embrace new business models, providing new products and services to fuel the green revolution. And to do that, they need a flexible, robust IT backbone, that’s up to the task.

In the latest episode of Future Fuel, Marco Beicht, founder and CEO of powercloud, and utilities and transformation expert, Carola Wahl, grab a coffee and discuss how utilities must innovate, transform and reinvent themselves if they are to continue to be relevant in this new energy future.

Virta – Future Proof EV Charging

In this episode, Mathias Wiecher VP of eMobility at E.ON, Jussi Palola CEO at Virta discuss details of their cooperation to empower customers to make the switch to electric mobility and fight climate change.

Lemonbeat – Bridging the gap for IoT scalability

Four in every five IoT projects are doomed to fail before they even launch. Hear from Oliver van der Mond at Lemonbeat who is on a mission to create successful and scalable IoT for a smarter, more sustainable world.

This Future Fuel episode is hosted by Marc J. Wiemann, Manager at E.ON Innovation.

eSmart Systems – Drones and AI for super human capabilities

Find out about the ‘super humans’ using AI to make the inspection and maintenance of our energy grids greener, safer, more efficient and more reliable with Knut Johansen of eSmart Systems.

This Future Fuel episode is hosted by Carolina Soto, Investment manager at Future Energy Ventures

GridX – Taking charging to the next level

E-mobility is one of the biggest drivers in the field of energy transition. However, managing the energy flows to power an increasing number of EVs is also one of the most complex challenges.

In this episode of Future Fuel, Alexander Miropolski, head of eMobility at E.ON speaks with Andreas Booke of gridX and Matthias Holder of E.ON eMobility who are working together to find simple solutions.