UK: Seawater Greenhouse receives Shell Springboard award
The London-based 2018 Shell Springboard National Winner, Seawater Greenhouse, receives a total of £150,000 to support the growth and commercialisation of its ‘cool house’ technology that evaporates sea water to create a cool and humid microclimate to grow crops in arid coastal environments around the world. Charlie Paton, Managing Director of Seawater Greenhouse, was chosen from six national finalists, out of a total of 125 applicants to the programme.
Sinead Lynch, Chair of Shell UK, comments after the awards, held at the Royal Academy of Engineering: “Seawater Greenhouse and MiAlgae are two of Britain’s brightest, most promising innovations to support a more sustainable, low-carbon world.
"Around 90% of all businesses in the UK’s low-carbon sector are SMEs and providing equity-free funding through Shell LiveWIRE and Shell Springboard can be the difference between make or break for some of these companies.”
Nearly half a million pounds (£435,000) in funding has been distributed in 2018, with all six regional Shell Springboard finalists also receiving £40,000 each. Alongside the funding, the winners of both programmes also receive a tailored programme of business support from Shell. More than eight in every ten (84%) of Shell Springboard and Shell LiveWIRE supported companies are still in operation within five years, compared to the national average of approximately 45%.
Charlie Paton, Director of Seawater Greenhouse, the 2018 Shell Springboard National Winner, said: “We are thrilled to be selected as the Shell Springboard winner! It is a huge achievement and a key milestone in Seawater Greenhouse’s development. The £150,000 prize is fantastic and will allow us to take the next steps in developing our business. Being involved in the Shell Springboard programme has been an amazing experience – each stage has been challenging and really helped us refine our business idea. We would like to thank the judges for selecting us.”
Baroness Brown of Cambridge, Chair of the Springboard judging panel, said: “It has been a privilege to meet the Shell Springboard and Shell LiveWIRE finalists today and to learn about their fantastic innovations. The standard was extremely high and testament to the dynamism of the UK low-carbon SME sector. Seawater Greenhouse and MiAlgae are incredibly impressive businesses and I have no doubt of their potential to thrive and make a significant contribution to the energy transition.”
For more information:
www.shell.co.uk