Innovation

The Andalusian startup Solum won the Micro-mobility Startup Challenge with a car park for electric vehicles capable of accommodating bicycles and scooters. The contest was launched, through Iberdrola International Startup Programme - PERSEO, to seek safe parking and charging solutions for this type of vehicle.

Four international projects have been selected as winners of the Startup Challenge launched in May 2021 by Iberdrola — through its PERSEO International Startup Programme —, which sought low-cost and environmentally friendly solutions to sustainably combine the deployment of photovoltaic parks and primary sector activities in rural areas.

Solar energy, or photovoltaic energy, is one of the most efficient renewable sources at present and will be key in the process of decarbonising the planet. And all thanks to an essential part: the photovoltaic cell. This electronic device has the capacity to capture and transform light energy into electricity, and in recent years it has continued to evolve in terms of materials and manufacturing techniques.

According to Nuria Oliver, Data Scientist of the Year for the Big Data Value Association (BDVA) with a PhD from MIT for her work on Artificial Intelligence (AI), one of the main challenges facing society is to find ways to use technology to improve people's lives and to involve women in building the society of the future by encouraging STEM careers.

At Iberdrola group we have begun a pilot project based on using blockchain to guarantee, in real time, that the energy supplied and consumed is 100 % renewable. Using this technology, we have managed to link plants where electricity is produced to specific points of consumption, allowing the source of the energy to be traced. This increases transparency and ultimately encourages the use of renewable energy.

Reducing emissions and moving towards decarbonising energy are two fundamental objectives for safeguarding the planet. To achieve this, combining the most competitive renewable energies, as wind, photovoltaic and hydraulic energy, in hybrid installations — that can be complemented by storage systems — is proving to be an effective tool for delivering clean and efficient energy.