Energy Rethinking - use less save more

Shell is looking for “ecopreneurs” with great green ideas for tacking climate change. The Shell Springboard competition annually awards £320,000, in grants of up to £40,000, to small businesses with innovative, and commercially viable carbon-cutting business ideas.

Now in its seventh year, Springboard has already given financial boosts to 53 businesses, helping them to raise their profiles and secure further investment for energy efficient, money saving innovation. Previous awards have gone to:

• A company developing nanotechnology for hydrogen storage that could bring hydrogen fueled cars closer to reality
• A logistics system that uses spare capacity for consumer and business shipping thus reducing the number of lorries on the road
• The creators of a hybrid, photo voltaic and solar panel technology that produces hot water from solar energy even in cold climates
• A system that alerts consumers to their energy use, and offers home security as well, through a simple, plug-in device.

Awesome creativity

The creativity demonstrated by past winners of Shell Springboard Awards is awesome and we’ll be featuring some of the winning ideas in the coming months. Meanwhile, online applications for this year’s award programme are being taken right now, and until 4 November 2011 at 5 p.m.

To be eligible entrants must be:

• A UK business set up as a sole trader, partnership, limited company or community interest company
• Established formally for at least three months on the date of the application deadline
• Considered to have SME status as defined by the EU.

To find out more about Springboard, including full eligibility requirements, judging criteria and how to apply, as well as a review of past winners, visit the Shell Springboard website.

Read about VPhase, a recent Shell Springboard finalist, and the effect the competition had on their business.