Revolutionizing renewable energy - A wild journey
"Since winning the Bright Minds Challenge 2017 it has been a wild and incredible journey that we could never have expected."
Three finalists of the global Bright Minds Challenge for the most promising solar and energy storage solutions to move our planet towards 100% renewable energy were announced on 12 April in Somerville, MA, U.S.A. at Greentown Labs, the largest cleantech incubator in the U.S. The finalists are Cellulike (Tanzania) a pay as you go model for micro-grid solar power distribution systems, Inquimae (Argentina) a sustainable energy storage project from renewable energy sources (solar and wind) for remote electrification and Solar Ear (Brazil), focusing on solar powered hearing aids for the most impoverished communities across the globe.
The Bright Minds Challenge was created by DSM together with partners Accenture; Chinese National Center of Supervision and Inspection on Solar Photovoltaic Products Quality (CPVT), Greentown Labs; U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL); Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, University of Oxford; Solarcentury; SolarAid and Sungevity.
The consortium will provide the finalists with a customized package of commercial, technical and mentoring support to help them bring their prototypes to market as rapidly as possible. In June the winner will be announced and will receive 500 hours (an equivalent of more than USD $100,000) of tailored support to fast-forward their solution.
At the event, the 10 nominees selected by the general public presented their solutions to a panel of expert judges, who ranked the nominees on the basis of societal impact, commercial scalability, uniqueness, technical quality and the quality of their presentation.
Pieter Wolters, Managing Director of DSM Venturing and chairman of the jury commented: “The Bright Minds Challenge aims to accelerate the transition to renewable energy and unlocking the potential of bright minds around the world. With this initiative we help them to take their scientific solution to the next step for the benefit of society as a whole. These three finalists have shown they are ready to take it to next level and make a difference in turning solar and energy storage into the renewable energy source of choice.”
"Since winning the Bright Minds Challenge 2017 it has been a wild and incredible journey that we could never have expected."
So you’ve won the DSM Bright Minds Challenge with a game changing idea. How go you make it happen? With a little help from a few expert friends, says Professor Ernesto Julio Calvo.
"To work at the highest ranked university in the world, surrounded by bright, optimistic young people from all corners of the globe; it’s a real inspiration to get out of bed every day!"
The UN SDG17 encourages the revitalizing and enhancing of international partnerships that bring together different actors and to mobilise all available resources in support of global sustainable development.
Who holds the key to achieving the world’s transition to 100% renewable energy? Our partners discuss the need for cross-border and cross-sector collaboration and the impact it can have on reaching the UN SDGs faster.
The Bright Minds Challenge partners represent various sectors and unique expertise. We asked them to share their view on the key challenges for a global transition to 100% renewable energy and cutting the carbon off the grid.
Scientist Ernesto Julio Calvo (Argentina) who invented Inquimae - a new way of extracting lithium that is powered by solar energy and is quicker and cleaner than any existing technology - won the first prize in the Bright Minds Challenge.
As we are near the end of the Bright Minds Challenge we take a look back at the impact of the past 7 months.
As pitches are polished and excitement builds on the run up Grand Final on June 13th, we wanted to share a sneak peak into the three groundbreaking solutions vying for the grand prize.
Join a select group of leaders, pioneers, innovators, scientists and investors at Westergasfabriek - a former gas factory and now a 100% sustainable park - to get inspired, share your perspective, network with industry leaders, find new pathways to collaboration, and celebrate the Bright Minds Challenge!
From Argentina, their solution focuses on renewable energy sources (solar and wind) for remote electrification.
From Brazil, their solution focuses on solar powered hearing aids for the most impoverished communities across the globe.
From Tanzania, their solution focuses on a pay as you go model for micro-grid solar power distribution systems.