Hitachi Energy Startup Challenge 2024

They are advancing the world’s energy system to be more sustainable, flexible and secure. As the pioneering technology leader, they collaborate with customers and partners to enable a sustainable energy future – for today’s generations and those to come.

Types of Challenges

They have two challenges and two collaboration awards:

• Transformers Business Unit
  • Hitachi Energy’s Transformers Business Unit offers a complete range of power transformers, traction transformers, insulation and components, digital sensors, and transformer services. Through the innovative and diverse Transformers team and pioneering technology, they transform energy to add social, environmental, and economic value – enabling a sustainable energy future for today’s generations and those to come.
  • Transformers are designed by prioritizing their efficiency, resilience and longevity, by strategically selecting special component materials to accommodate high electrical, mechanical, and thermal loads and stresses. The materials used in transformers are key to regulate the electricity voltage and control the power flow to ensure grid stability, mitigate overloads, and prevent blackouts. These materials are essential to the energy transition and are becoming more and more scarce: copper, grain-oriented electrical steel, cellulose paper, among many other components. They must meet customized design requirements and rigorous technical specifications to ensure efficient, reliable, and safe operations during 30 to 40 years or even longer.
  • Circularity, the key to resource efficiency and waste management
    • As transformers are highly material and energy-intensive equipment, they continuously work at Hitachi Energy to incorporate Eco-Design principles in the product development phase, to increase the circularity potential across the portfolio. Nowadays, transformers are highly recyclable and for new units, they have decommissioning guidelines for their dismantling and material recovery at the end of life-cycle. At the same time, the average age of the current global installed base for power transformers is at around 40 years. This scenario forecasts big waves of transformer decommissioning over the coming years and millions of tons of materials that would be highly needed to serve the growing needs for replacement and production of new units driven by the growth in energy demand and electrification trends.
  • Are you ready to join them for the challenge solution?
    • They are looking for circular solutions for the end-of-life stage of transformers, in line with Hitachi Energy’s commitments to “a zero waste to landfill” targets:
      • Enable business models that connect stakeholders across the value chain for sustainable management of products (specifically with regards to legacy liabilities) at the end-of-life (e.g. waste management companies, recyclers and reuse organizations with equipment OEM -Original Equipment Manufacturer). Such business solutions must consider Extended Producer Responsibility schemes that minimize final disposal following the transformers’ end-of-life.
      • Support the efficient separation of parts and materials as well as their recycling and repurposing by eliminating waste to landfill. For example, epoxy encapsulated parts and components, which are currently limiting the recoverability of materials at the required quality and purity levels.
      • Enable rapid identification of material composition in installed base of transformers including extent of valuable materials (with level of purity and potential to extract) and hazardous waste to inform the different actors at the end-of-life stages.
• Grid Integration Business
  • Hitachi Energy’s Grid Integration business unit offers a wide range of pioneering and sustainable technologies, services, and solutions for the customers and partners to plan, build, operate, and maintain their critical grid systems. The offering spans from consulting services that helps in the first phases of planning projects and complete grid systems to high-voltage direct current (HVDC), power quality and grid solutions, e-mobility and transportation solutions, semiconductors and advanced service solutions.
  • Circularity, the key to resource efficiency and waste management
    • As transformers are highly material and energy-intensive equipment, they continuously work at Hitachi Energy to incorporate Eco-Design principles in the product development phase, to increase the circularity potential across the portfolio. Nowadays, transformers are highly recyclable and for new units, they have decommissioning guidelines for their dismantling and material recovery at the end of life-cycle. At the same time, the average age of the current global installed base for power transformers is at around 40 years. This scenario forecasts big waves of transformer decommissioning over the coming years and millions of tons of materials that would be highly needed to serve the growing needs for replacement and production of new units driven by the growth in energy demand and electrification trends.
  • Are you ready to join them for the challenge solution?
    • They are looking for circular solutions for the end-of-life stage of transformers, in line with Hitachi Energy’s commitments to “a zero waste to landfill” targets:
      • Enable business models that connect stakeholders across the value chain for sustainable management of products (specifically with regards to legacy liabilities) at the end-of-life (e.g. waste management companies, recyclers and reuse organizations with equipment OEM -Original Equipment Manufacturer). Such business solutions must consider Extended Producer Responsibility schemes that minimize final disposal following the transformers’ end-of-life.
      • Support the efficient separation of parts and materials as well as their recycling and repurposing by eliminating waste to landfill. For example, epoxy encapsulated parts and components, which are currently limiting the recoverability of materials at the required quality and purity levels.
      • Enable rapid identification of material composition in installed base of transformers including extent of valuable materials (with level of purity and potential to extract) and hazardous waste to inform the different actors at the end-of-life stages.

What will you get by participating in the challenge?

• Team up with the Hitachi Energy experts during the 10-days coaching stage
• Be part of the 3 challengers in each track earning a spot in the final selection and award ceremony event in Zurich, Switzerland, and meeting the Hitachi Energy Senior Management Team
• Win up to US$30.000 to collaborate and develop the solution with Hitachi Energy, to show and share the solution in a pilot or customer test case.

For more information, visit Hitachi Energy.