Winners of the 4th edition of the Huawei Startup Challenge

At the grand finale gala, the Institute of Technology Optimization was declared the winner of the contest that supports Polish positive-impact startups.  WindTak took second place and received a special prize from Nomad Electric, while Kuuler was awarded third place on the podium. W2H2 was voted as the audience’s favorite.

The fourth edition of the Huawei Startup Challenge was once again organized in collaboration with the Startup Academy. Nomad Electric, a partner of the fourth edition of the event, has prepared an additional prize for the best solution based on data science, which supports the development and efficiency of renewable energy power plants (RES). The aim was to identify the most innovative solutions in the area of renewable energy. Polish entrepreneurs and businesswomen presented their ideas. The competition offers not only prizes but also valuable contacts and global exposure for young innovators. Participants have the opportunity to benefit from expert guidance and access the knowledge and experience of renowned institutions and partner companies.

This year’s winners have great potential for development and offer innovative solutions that utilize green energy. The Institute of Technology Optimization has developed a revolutionary Floating Water Power Plant (FWPP), which converts flowing river energy into electrical energy without the need for costly investments in building concrete dams and reservoirs, thus minimizing the negative impact on the natural environment. WindTAK came in second place due to its 5GVG system, which combines cost efficiency and savings in servicing existing wind turbines, resulting in an increased annual turbine production index. Kuuler also made it to the podium by creating a radiative cooling panel that uses the nonlinear reflection of thermal radiation in the wavelength range corresponding to the atmospheric window. This solution enables the emission of energy in the form of electromagnetic waves, which dissipate heat from surrounding objects.

Startup WindTAK won the Nomad Electric Award for their work in wind engineering, specifically in turbine exploitation and energy efficiency. As the best in their field, they will receive financial support and mentoring to continue developing professional solutions. The startup’s precise analysis enables optimal utilization of wind power and turbine potential, the two key factors for generating investor profits.

I am delighted that this contest introduced us to inspiring projects and their creators. We awarded a special prize to the startup that combines engineering with technology, an approach that resonates with ours. The WindTAK solution, based on their 5GVG system, improves efficiency and reduces the cost of servicing wind turbines. This is achieved through aerodynamic improvements and the use of innovative measurement systems based on IoT devices and 5G wireless communication, combined with cloud data processing. I am convinced that the future of energy lies in modern technologies and data analysis. We know this from experience because Nomad Electric not only builds and manages wind and PV power plants but also creates solutions to improve the efficiency of RES installations, which are based on advanced data analytics. – said Paweł Czaus, CEO of Nomad Electric.

All companies that faced the challenges posed by the competition’s chapter presented revolutionary ideas based on green energy. They were not limited to introducing entirely new, ecological solutions. Among them were also those that perfected existing technologies. Some of them were based on renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind energy. There were also projects related to machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Guests invited to the Huawei Startup Challenge 4 gala also had the opportunity to award one of the startups with the audience prize. The distinction went to the W2H2 project, which involves using a sealed, insulated steel tank for the pyrolysis of hydrocarbon wastes at 850°C, eliminating the need for additional cleaning devices in the installation. This allows for the continuous feeding of waste at a rate of 200 kg/hr. and obtaining syngas with a dominant composition containing over 50% hydrogen, confirmed by laboratory tests.