Startup Energy Reykjavik investment day

The closure of Startup Energy Reykjavik program was held on Arion Bank head office the 28th may. The program is a mentorship-driven seed stage investment program with focus on energy related business ideas. After 10 intensive weeks, the final teams presented their projects to possible investors.

The Minister of Industry and Commerce, Ragnheidur Elín Arnadottir, congratulated and encouraged the teams to start new companies in this strategic sector, and remarked the strong commitment the Icelandic Government has with young entrepreneurs, announcing an increase up to 3% of the GPD for 2016 in research and development programs.

These are the main business ideas that the seven young energy companies presented to investors:

• DTE Dynamic Technology Equipment is specialized in developing equipment for aluminum industry. They presented their latest innovation, PEA Aluminum (Portable Element Analyzer). This innovative tool allow testing aluminum properties “in situ”, avoiding long time waits from laboratory responses. Their expertise background in the sector and the big market are one of the strengths. Contact: Karl Águst Mattíasson (karl@dtequipment.com).
• BMJ Energy makes the smartest micro-hydro stations available on the market. Able to use smaller creeks to produce electricity, with their unique control system, they maximize the energy production without the need of big reservoirs.  The company also offers real time monitoring for hydros. BMJ focuses on micro-hydro stations, from 1kw to 50kW. With already some stations working in Iceland, they see their future in the global market. BMJ energy makes every drop count. Contact: Bjarni Malmquist Jónsson (b.malmquist@bmj.is).
• The objetive of Fjárfestingafélagið Landsvarmi is to introduce heat pumps for district heating in iceland by using the thermal heat source of the ocean. This improvement will reduce the electric consumption in cold areas up to less than half of the current figures. The potential market is the entire artic region, with four million inhabitants. Contact: Kristján M.Ólafsson (kolafsson@kpmg.is).
• BigEddy provides accurate site assessments for wind farms by combining weather observations with state of the art models that reveal the true potential of prospective sites. Furthermore BigEddy specialises in high accuracy wind energy forecasts to enable operators to accurately predict the production of wind farms worldwide. Contact: Ólafur Rögnvaldsson (or@belgingur.is).
• Research in geothermal fields are normally costly and time consuming. Geodrone works with unmmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with remote sensing technologies to provide customized measurement, a way to reduce cost, time and risk in exploratory stages. Contact: Alicja W. Stoklosa (ailcjastoklosa@gmail.com).
• Eta-nýtni is developing a plant that produces Sodium chlorate and hydrogen, using sea water. The expected 13 millions of m³ of Hydrogen will be sell in the local market, meanwhile the 20,000t/year of Sodium chlorate will be export for paper industry in Europe. Contact: Gunnar Tryggvason (guntry@gmail.com).
• Gerosion is a knowledge based company that specializes in solutions for the geothermal, oil and gas industries, in material testing and selection for casings and equipment, in deep high temperature and pressure wells. The company is buying a unique AutoClave pressure vessel with a specific gas injection system, for simulated testing of materials, including metals and well cement grouts, in supercritical conditions. Contacts: Sunna Ó. Wallevik (sunna@gerosion.com) and Kolbrún R. Ragnarsdóttir (kolbrun@gerosion.com).

By Contributing Author: Scherezade D. Martos, Hydrogeologist,  MSc Sustainable Energy.