The Omdena “AI Adoption Leaders Series” comprises game-changing startups, stories, and thought-leadership pieces from leading impact ventures solving real-world problems using AI.

In this article, the list of top CleanTech startups using AI for a greener future offers innovative technologies to address our most pressing environmental and social challenges.

What is a CleanTech startup? 

Cleantech startups are organizations that are making crucial advances in reducing adverse environmental impacts. With cleantech, the aim is to utilize alternative sources of energy such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric energy to supply the utilities that fossil fuels have provided in the past. 

With new current mandates to reduce global warming, manufacturers and other commercial enterprises are implementing clean technologies in order to optimize their operations. Cleantech startups, who realize how they can advance the cause, supply the market with the relevant technology to meet customer needs. 

According to the new IEA report, Financing Clean Energy Transitions in Emerging and Developing Economies. Annual clean energy investment in these countries will need to increase by more than seven times, to over USD 1 trillion, by 2030 if global net-zero emissions are to be reached by 2050, the IEA projects. This would represent more than 40% of the total global energy investment by 2050.

What is the current state of AI serving CleanTech?

The services that cleantech startups provide range from improving the ability of organizations to recycle to monitoring the performance of the blades on a wind turbine. Cleantech aims to reverse the impacts of fossil fuel-based technology and embrace renewable energy. Current mandates of CleanTech include:

• Optimizing existing CleanTech standards, and creating targets for the future
• Improving industrial efficiency, particularly in a net-zero economy
• Applicable to both small and large companies that will be able to leverage AI in their operations.

16 Rockstar CleanTech Startups Using AI for a Greener Future

1. Shayp 

Shayp is a leading specialist in water efficiency and monitoring. The company uses machine learning and real-time data to report when water is unnecessarily wasted due to leakages or system discrepancies in buildings. 

2. Solenica 

Solenica is the manufacturer of Caia, the natural lighting robot that illuminates your home or office with all-natural sunshine. Caia works to bring sunshine to any space. Caia finds the sun, remembers where to point it, and keeps it there all day long to keep the space bright and light. 

3. Recycleye 

Recycleye is a growing technology company using advanced machine learning, computer vision, and robotics to commodify waste. The company brings transparency, traceability, and efficiency to the global waste management industry. Recycleye operates across Europe and has raised over £4m to date.

4. Glint Solar 

Glint Solar was founded in 2020. The company builds solar screening and analysis software that uses satellite data to identify and analyze thousands of potential solar project sites in a given region. It aims to accelerate the adoption of solar energy by simplifying the solar analysis process and providing high-quality data that can be used to determine the feasibility of a solar development site.

5. Gilytics AG 

Gilytics helps energy and engineering companies automate infrastructure planning, routing, and monitoring, saving time, money, and CO2 with better data, visuals, and communication to accelerate the energy transition.

6. WePower

WePower platform connects corporate energy buyers and energy retailers directly with green energy generators so that all businesses, no matter the size, can easily purchase locally produced green energy at competitive rates and full transparency.

7. Minimum 

Minimum lets organizations calculate, report on, and reduce the carbon emissions of the business, whether the enterprise is a corporate or an investment fund.

8. Think Outside 

By reimagining ground radar techniques to analyze mountain snowpacks, Think Outside is partnering with Hydropower companies to more effectively plan and supply energy in a transitioning energy economy.

9. Zenodys 

Zenodys is building the world’s largest decentralized database and marketplace of digital assets. Via fusing industry 4.0 applications, digitization, and automation are enhanced in an affordable, effortless fashion. 

10. Potential Motors

According to Bloomberg NEF’s recent Electric Vehicle Outlook report, there will be over 500 different EV models available globally by 2022. At Potential Motors, the company is developing vehicle control software that empowers electric off-road vehicles with unprecedented levels of performance, safety, and resiliency.

11. NeedEnergy 

Using Data Intelligence to Provide Smart and Clean Energy Solutions. NeedEnergy’s goal is simple – provide effective, intelligent solutions to Africa’s growing energy demands. 

NeedEnergy is part of the Omdena AI Incubator Program 

12. Ping 

Wind turbine blades have an acoustic signature. Ping records change in this signature to continuously monitor the health of wind turbine blades and use advanced acoustic analysis to detect damage.

13. Pani Energy 

Pani’s vision is to accelerate the world’s transition to a sustainable water supply. Industrial efficiency is the invisible solution to climate change. Pani provides a cloud-based analytics solution that optimizes water treatment plants to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and improve the sustainability of freshwater production, worldwide.

14. Dynamhex 

Dynamhex uses AI to take the guesswork out of energy transition by creating equitable and actionable carbon reduction roadmaps. Carbon accounting and emissions management platform helps you measure, report, and reduce the carbon footprint of your operations. Dynamhex leverages localized data to address climate change.

15. Cleveron 

Cleveron is a Swiss-made technology, with which organizations can save on heating costs and monitor the air quality. Reducing utility consumption is an important lever that organizations can use to reduce their environmental impact. 

16. Solar AI Technologies

Solar AI Technologies (now GetSolar) combines geospatial analysis of satellite imagery with big data and machine learning to analyze rooftop solar potential and estimate savings virtually.

Solar AI has been incubated as a part of ENGIE Factory, which collaborated with Omdena, to hyper-scale the deployment of distributed solar and the transition towards 100% renewables by modernizing the way rooftop solar is sold.

Conclusion

Cleantech is important because it provides a solution to the current energy crisis. As the world advances, more and more people are gaining access to technology. Access to utilities such as water, electricity, and internet access will require infrastructure expansion. 

Clean technologies enable the scale-up of utility access, without putting a significant strain on the world’s energy resources. Cleantech startups provide a path that will cater to both the developed and the developing world. 

With better amenities, clean technologies will enable more people in the world to access a better quality of life. People will have better health and live longer happier lives.