[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/6854\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ESolar Impulse \u0027Efficient Solution\u0027 label for profitable start-ups to boost clean energy investment\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt was one of a number of initiatives launched at the Mission Innovation clean energy conference in Malm\u00f6, Sweden, on 23 May.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EClean energy innovations are often high risk, yield low returns and take a long time to reach maturity. The idea of the label is that showing the financial impact of environmental solutions will help sell the concept of clean and renewable energy to governments and potential financial backers. It\u2019s led by Dr Bertrand Piccard, the first person to fly around the world in a solar-powered aircraft.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018When we consider climate change and consumption, it\u2019s not only our comfort, our growth, our lifestyle that is the reason for that,\u2019 said Dr Piccard. \u2018It\u2019s the fact that the technologies that we use are wasting half of the energy that is produced. Half of the pollution is only due to the\u0026nbsp;losses, to the waste and the inefficiencies of the systems that are in use today.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe told the conference that he had already used arguments around profitability and job creation to convince right-wing politicians in Switzerland, who are generally against environmental initiatives.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy the end of 2018, Dr Piccard aims to have selected 1,000 recipients of the label, and the EU is helping\u0026nbsp;to reach the target by identifying the most promising EU-funded projects.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECarlos Moedas, EU Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, who launched the label with Dr Piccard, said that it would change the conversation around clean energy by focusing on solutions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0027The efficient solutions label clearly demonstrates the economic opportunities that innovative clean technologies bring,\u0027 he said. \u0027Its rigorous and strict criteria will help raise the profile of new breakthrough solutions and make them attractive for investors.\u0027\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ciframe src=\u0022https:\/\/europa.eu\/webtools\/crs\/iframe\/?oriurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FRPQu2ypvGIQ?rel=0\u0026amp;showinfo=0\u0022 width=\u0022853\u0022 height=\u0022480\u0022 frameborder=\u00220\u0022 allowfullscreen=\u0022allowfullscreen\u0022\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EClean energy is the market that will make \u0027every country great again\u0027, said Dr Piccard, at the Mission Innovation conference on 23 May.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2019, Dr Piccard will travel around the world to promote the solutions to governments and businesses, and they will also be presented at the UN\u0027s 24th climate change conference COP24 in December 2018. The aim is to encourage\u0026nbsp;the adoption of more ambitious environmental targets and energy policies by highlighting the financial advantages of doing so.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETwo-thirds\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEnergy consumption and production\u0026nbsp;account for \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.weforum.org\/whitepapers\/accelerating-sustainable-energy-innovation\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Etwo-thirds\u003C\/a\u003E of greenhouse gas emissions, so sustainable energy innovation is vital if the world is to achieve its climate goals.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat\u2019s one of the reasons that the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/mission-innovation.net\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EMission Innovation\u003C\/a\u003E project was launched in 2015 at the Paris climate change conference, where countries agreed to limit global warming to two degrees above pre-industrial levels. It aims to double public investment for early-stage clean energy entrepreneurs by 2021 in a bid to dramatically speed up innovation in this sector, and is supported by 24 members, including the EU.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Citizens and innovators can help us to accelerate the clean energy revolution,\u2019 said Commissioner Moedas.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAhead of the Malm\u00f6 conference, the World Economic Forum (WEF) launched a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.weforum.org\/whitepapers\/accelerating-sustainable-energy-innovation\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Ewhite paper\u003C\/a\u003E that identified the main problems faced by clean energy entrepreneurs, including a so-called financial valley of death \u2013 meaning that there is little long-term risk capital available in the sustainable energy sector.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccording to the WEF, governments currently supply more than two-thirds of global investment into research development and demonstration (RD\u0026amp;D) for clean energy projects, while most private RD\u0026amp;D is focused on oil and gas rather than renewable technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe paper set out six bold ideas for improvement \u2013 including creating institutions for energy innovation, establishing an independent international fund to finance energy projects that combines public and private donations, and developing instruments for public-private co-investment. It highlighted the need for alliances between organisations and companies that promote innovation, and praised the Mission Innovation programme as a best-practice example.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u0026#039;Citizens and innovators can help us to accelerate the clean energy revolution.\u0026#039;\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003ECarlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThrough the Mission Innovation initiative, India has also proposed an international incubator to test clean energy technologies in local markets, and Sweden has launched a competition to promote disruptive innovations funded by public-private partnerships.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHowever, part of the problem is a lack of visibility, as clean energy entrepreneurs don\u2019t always have access to the platforms where potential investors are active.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EChampions\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn an effort to address this, Mission Innovation is setting up a Mission Champions scheme to promote excellent clean-energy\u0026nbsp;researchers and innovators\u0026nbsp;and raise their profile on a global scale.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe champions will be\u0026nbsp;flown to the next Mission Innovation conference where they have the opportunity to network with ministers and business leaders, and they will be encouraged to engage in cross-border idea exchanges with other champions. The idea is that through the scheme, the champions\u2019 visibility will be enhanced, which could lead to potential investment opportunities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo date, the Mission Innovation initiative has set out seven so-called Innovation Challenges that push member countries towards ambitious goals in a variety of clean energy sectors. The EU is co-leading challenges on converting sunlight into storable solar fuels and affordable heating and cooling of buildings. A new eighth challenge on hydrogen energy was launched this week and will also be led by the EU.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESo far, research in this area has boosted the production of aviation biojet fuels under the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/rcn\/106229_en.html\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EITAKA\u003C\/a\u003E project and have led to the development of new approaches to make building heating and cooling systems more sustainable and efficient under the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/rcn\/186979_en.html\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003ECelsius City\u003C\/a\u003E project. ITAKA in particular achieved greenhouse gas savings of more than 70%, and improved local air quality by 30%.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EIf you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/bit.ly\/newsalertsignup\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/news-alert-final.jpg\u0022 alt width=\u0022983\u0022 height=\u0022222\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-p0lngbryifnqyfpjwb20vukjon3iew7hwi1bqzdta80\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-p0lNGbRYIFnqYFPjWb20VUKjoN3IEw7HWI1BqzDTA80\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]