Earlier this 12 months, Octopus Vitality established the Octopus Centre for Internet Zero (OCNZ) – a centre for impartial analysis, engagement and open know-how – harnessing the ability of the tech sector to seek out quicker, cheaper, and fairer routes to Internet Zero.
Now, the Octopus Centre for Internet Zero has put the capital’s brightest younger minds to the check on the very first London Vitality Concept Problem.
Introducing the 2021 Vitality Concept Problem
The 2021 Vitality Concept Problem – a weekend lengthy hackathon – was OCNZ’s first massive public challenge, giving a youthful era of thinkers the chance to showcase their concepts for reaching Mayor Sadiq Khan’s formidable objective to make London a zero-carbon metropolis. The broader intention is to restrict world common temperature rise to 1.5 levels above pre-industrial ranges, as set out within the 2015 Paris Local weather Settlement. Sounds straightforward, proper?
The London Vitality Concept Problem was organised and run by London College college students, and on the Octopus Centre for Internet Zero we have been thrilled to help the occasion, together with ARUP Group and Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. This was the right alternative for college kids to use their ardour and mind to the creation of an power trade that may assist us obtain this objective.
In your marks. Get set. Go!
27 groups got 24 hours to: ‘Develop an concept that may be applied within the subsequent ten years to assist London attain net-zero carbon emissions. Your concept could be something from energy-saving public coverage to modern energy-generating know-how’
The groups have been judged on 4 classes: impression, creativity, practicality, and readability. The judges themselves have been an professional panel of power trade leaders, joined by Peter Underwood of the Inexperienced Occasion. The highest eight groups have been then given the chance to develop on their concepts for an opportunity to win the highest prizes.
When the mud settled on Sunday night, 5 groups remained:
- fifth place – Intelliglass: an electrochromic window resolution paired with a low-cost photo voltaic cell to make workplace buildings extra sustainable
- 4th place – Eurostars: JUMPuary: a jumper-wearing social occasion to encourage folks to show their heating down and sign a willingness to alter for the nice of the planet
- third place – CarbonPay: an app to assist shoppers establish merchandise with a decrease environmental impression
- 2nd place – Coolab: a knowledge visualisation platform for qualifying local weather actions with open-source datasets
and at last… drum roll please!
- 1st place – THelix: a proposal to put in water generators between the arches of London’s bridges
In addition to money prizes for the principle occasion, extra particular prizes have been additionally awarded. The ‘Benchmark Vitality Storage Innovation Prize’ was awarded to THelix and included a quick monitor interview with the award’s sponsor. The ‘Finest Utility of Open Expertise’, sponsored by the Octopus Centre for Internet Zero was received by Coolab, incomes them the prospect to take part in a world climate-themed machine studying problem related to this 12 months’s COP26 summit.
After the ultimate displays, I sat down with two of the organisers of the occasion; Inês Gomes Pádua and Philippa Davidova, to ask them the way it all went:
We’re fairly pleased and glad that individuals actually engaged with the occasion regardless of the net setting. We have been not sure about convincing folks to spend a whole weekend in entrance of their screens. So we’re positively so glad with this wonderful turnout!
A whole lot of the concepts have been fairly sudden and nothing I’d have thought up, however I discovered myself partaking with them and wanting to participate with the groups and work with them.
So the primary London Vitality Concept Problem was a success. The organisers are already fascinated with the following one, which is able to hopefully happen in particular person.
On the Octopus Centre for Internet Zero, we will’t wait. It’s clear that the following era has extremely vivid and recent concepts for reaching net-zero emissions, and the OCNZ will at all times be keen to come back alongside for the trip. Watch this area.
If you happen to’re , you’ll find out extra in regards to the Octopus Centre for Internet Zero from its founder Lucy Yu.
