Six bright startups to feature at renewables showcase

Following a record number of applications, Innovation Bay and ARENA have selected six startups to present at the 2024 ARENA Renewables Startup Showcase, which is returning for a fifth year on Thursday, 21 November in Sydney.

Applications were open to all early-stage and scaleup companies innovating in the renewables, climate tech and cleantech sectors. An experienced panel of judges that included impact VC partners, cleantech investors, and energy and climate change specialists managed to narrow down more than 85 applications to the final selection of six.

“Once again, we’re inspired by the exceptional talent and vibrant innovation emerging across Australia’s renewables, climate tech and cleantech sectors,” said Phaedon Stough, CEO and co-founder of Innovation Bay, an Australian membership community for technology founders and investors.

“This year’s record-breaking number of applicants and surge in pitching startups underscore the incredible momentum within this space. We’re thrilled to bring together these leading startups and investors to help drive growth and impact across the sector.”

The judges evaluated factors such as market size and business opportunity, team suitability and strength, competitive advantage, investment attractiveness at the current stage, and potential for substantial industry impact — as well as alignment with the showcase’s theme, ‘Solar and Beyond’.

The six successful startups are listed below.

Endua

Endua is a Brisbane-based deep tech startup that develops next-gen hydrogen technologies for onsite hydrogen production in energy storage, power and mobility. Focused on localised hydrogen generation, Endua reduces costs and environmental impact by eliminating long-distance transport and storage. The startup is backed by CSIRO, Ampol Australia and Main Sequence, and benefits from strong technical expertise, market access and early-stage funding. CEO and founder Paul Sernia brings over 20 years’ experience in energy and manufacturing, previously co-founding Tritium, a global EV charging company. He has a PhD in Electrical Engineering and degrees in Computer Systems Engineering and Computer Science.

Hadean Energy

Hadean Energy, a Melbourne-based CSIRO spin-out, is advancing green hydrogen and e-fuels with its tubular Solid Oxide Electrolyser (tSOE), which is claimed to operate up to 30% more efficiently than traditional electrolysers. Hadean’s solution supports decarbonisation in hard-to-abate sectors like steelmaking and ammonia production, and enables low-cost syngas for shipping and aviation. Backed by CSIRO and RFC Ambrian, Hadean is rapidly commercialising, securing grants and preparing for a megawatt-scale demonstration in Australia.

Halocell

Halocell Energy is an Australian solar innovator focused on manufacturing next-generation perovskite solar cells. With a pilot facility in NSW’s Riverina district, the startup aims to target the indoor IoT market before expanding to space and drone applications. Collaborating with academic partners (QUT, UNSW, UQ) and industry leaders (Tindo Solar, Gilmour Space), Halocell was founded in 2020 by CEO Paul Moonie, who has over 20 years’ experience in solar technology.

Kwetta

Founded in 2021 in Napier, New Zealand, Kwetta is focused on transforming ultrafast EV charging by eliminating grid constraints. Its Prime Grid Gateway project addresses capacity, voltage and power quality issues without costly upgrades or batteries, enabling customers to deploy rapidly and access more power at grid-constrained sites. At the 2024 Renewables Startup Showcase, Aidan Clarke, Kwetta’s Brisbane-based Product Manager, will share Kwetta’s vision for scalable EV infrastructure, leveraging his expertise from Tritium and intelliHR.

Reswitch

Reswitch was founded to bridge a notable gap in the renewable energy sector: ensuring that the economic benefits of clean energy projects reach the communities that host them. The Reswitch platform enables energy infrastructure developers, including renewable energy zone coordinators, to deliver tangible benefits such as free or reduced power bills to nearby residents at any project phase — without requiring recipients to switch energy providers. By digitising and streamlining best practices in benefit-sharing, Reswitch fosters early community ties, enhances local support, and helps projects gain and maintain social licence more effectively.

Solstice AI

Solstice AI delivers AI solutions for energy utilities, traders and solar asset owners to boost profits and manage risks amid rising solar variability. The startup’s Solstice SkyScan product uses AI with overhead imagery to locate all solar generation in a region. Solstice SkyFlow applies AI to satellite images, predicting cloud movement — the main factor in solar output — to forecast generation at specific sites or across regions. Since 2022, Solstice AI has completed projects for utilities and energy providers in Australia, Germany and Spain.

In addition to the featured startups, the 2024 ARENA Renewables Startup Showcase will include a gala dinner and plenty of networking opportunities. Guests will also have the opportunity to learn from experts on the future of emerging technologies in the renewable energy sector.

ARENA CEO Darren Miller will take to the stage alongside investors Alexandra Clunies-Ross, Partner at Artesian (Alternative Investments), Katerina Kimmorley, Head of Commercial & Investments at Boundless Earth and Commissioner at the NSW Net Zero Emissions Commission, and Angela Karl, Managing Director and Head of Energy Transition at HMC Capital, for a thought-provoking panel discussion moderated by Capital Brief Startups and VC correspondent Bronwen Clune.

Miller said the work that startups are doing in the renewable energy and climate change sector will be of critical importance if Australia is going to achieve its goal of net zero emissions.

“The ARENA Renewables Startup Showcase has become the premier event to ensure these visionary founders are connected with the right investors so that innovation in this sector continues to thrive,” he said.

“It’s exciting to again partner with Innovation Bay to present the Showcase and introduce the next generation of renewable technology to the world.”

For information on how to register for the event, click here.

Image credit: iStock.com/ronniechua