Tech-Terra: "We want to play our role in the 'Energy Transition', securing valuable clean energy jobs in the UK and beyond"
With the conclusion of Stage 2 of this year’s ECCI EIT Climate-KIC Accelerator approaching, we caught up with the entrepreneurs pulling the strings behind some of UK’s most promising climate start-ups.
Tech-Terra is on a mission to create transformational green energy projects by converting oil & gas assets in the North Sea. The Aberdeen-based team aim to create a series of 'combined energy' sites around these assets, utilising their geothermal potential and other green energy sources to supply industry, transport, farming and homes, while providing new opportunities for the skilled oil & gas workforce. Managing Director Brian Archer is based in Aberdeen.
What role has the support offered to you by ECCI's EIT Climate-KIC Accelerator Stage 2 played in your success?
Our company has benefitted hugely from helping us frame our market validation strategy. This has led to critical insights that have positively altered elements of our key project.
The ECCI team are brilliant at giving us a wider picture than we are able to envisage within our own team.
Why are competitions that support green innovation important during Covid-19?
One of the major challenges that green innovation faces is overcoming the high costs of replacing incumbent business models. Covid-19 has caused so many problems for businesses and families in all sectors of the economy but what it may mean for the energy sector is that a re-set can be performed on what our priorities are.
As we look to build back the economy we have an opportunity to 'bake-in' green ways of solving challenges but only if the support is there to have innovative green technologies go past concepts into fully developed and implementable solutions.
What’s your aspirations for the future beyond this programme?
Tech-Terra are an 'Energy Transition' company. For us that means we represent one of the steps between the existing way we power and heat our lives and the way we need to do so to protect the planet and all our futures. We, humbly, want to play our role in that process and in doing so secure and grow valuable clean energy jobs in the UK and beyond. We project that our own company will reflect this transition as we evolve into greenfield Geothermal projects and beyond into an integrated energy offering.
EIT Climate-KIC Accelerator
ECCI's renowned Accelerator programme, which gives low carbon start-ups the funding, tools and coaching they need to grow into great businesses, has adapted to the challenges of COVID-19 by switching coaching and mentoring sessions online.
Since launching in 2017 ECCI's EIT Climate-KIC Accelerator businesses have secured more than £2.5m worth of investments and won more than 70 awards.
Stage 2 helps participants understand their target audience and comes with up to €5000 funding. The innovative 2020 cohort included six companies progressing from Stage 1 and three new recruits - with entrepreneurs from all across Scotland and the UK taking part in the wholly online programme.
Innovations range from off-grid solar technology which will enable people in refugee camps to become more self-sufficient, to a product that helps forestry organisations meet government goals on tree planting and a super-fast carbon measurement software tool for SMEs.