Boost for ocean start-ups Desolenator and SolarDuck
Desolenator and SolarDuck are two out of 10 international ocean start-ups that have been selected by Katapult Ocean to participate in a business accelerator programme.
Katapult will invest in the start-ups and additionally provide a digital programme to help these companies to grow faster and better.
Positive impact on oceans
The Oslo-based organisation Katapult Ocean invests in and supports start-ups that have a positive impact on oceans. Since 2018, it has made 32 investments in companies from all over the world (16 countries, 4 continents). Earlier this year Katapult Ocean started its third accelerator programme by inviting start-ups to apply. In the selection process over 1,500 applications have been screened and interviewed.
The final selection included the two Dutch start-ups SolarDuck and Desolenator.
Offshore floating solar energy
SolarDuck developed a modular floating solar power plant and aims at turnkey delivery of offshore platforms as a source for competitively priced renewable energy. Adding to existing floating solar systems, the floating construction of SolarDuck is much more robust and can withstand high levels of wave and wind action over a long period of time.
SolarDuck expects to start its first trials with a pilot installation early next year and will commence with commercial projects in the course of 2021. The initial focus will be on a 4 megawatt power unit.
Filter-free desalination
The other Dutch company that Katapult Ocean will invest in, is Desolenator. This start-up designed a solar thermal desalination system with the ambition of sustainably producing drinking water for island territories. The solar energy is directly used to distill salty or brackish sea water by using the heat and electrical energy to boil the water. Compared to most conventional systems, there is no need of filters that need to be cleaned frequently and the system does not require any chemicals.
The start-up is currently upscaling the use of this technology and expects that by 2021 systems will produce 250,000 liter/day at 1 US dollar/m3.
The other selected start-ups in this third round are: Fortuna Cools (cooler from coconuts), Hooked (plant-based seafood), HydroSurv (autonomous vessel), Matter (plastic recovery), Ocean Rainforest (seaweed), Paralenz (underwater camera), Aquammoderate (water purification), EcoSpears (soil and water remediation).
TOP PHOTO | SolarDuck team, from left to right: Olaf de Swart, Ewoud Huiskamp, Koen Burgers, Don Hoogendoorn and Harry Post.
