Ecovat has been voted the best sustainable innovation for energy transition. Ecovat offers a smart solution for underground storage of excess solar and wind energy. The award competition is organized bij Stedin and Natuur & Milieu to encourage innovations in the field of renewable energy.

About the winner

The Stedin jury, led by Marko Kruitfhof (manager sustainability and innovation at Stedin), chose Ecovat as the winner. The Ecovat system combines renewable energy production with storage to ensure adequate energy supplies for heating needs of a residential area. Ecovat also scored high on attainability and scalability. Grid operator Stedin offers Ecovat a pilot to test the concept on a large scale.

Platform for sustainable innovation

All participants are part of FrisseDingen.nl, the first Dutch platform for sustainable innovation, started in 2015 by Natuur & Milieu and Stedin. The platform provides a stage for entrepreneurs with solutions to sustainability challenges in the Netherlands, especially in the energy transition field. These innovations are needed to help accelerate the Netherlands into a society in which green and locally generated energy will play the leading role. In addition to that, also other sustainable innovations are welcome.

Voting process

The winner of the award and pilot was chosen by a jury. The winner of the public choice award received the most votes from the Stedin employees. To ensure they would contribute to a more sustainable energy supply, all participants were screened by Natuur & Milieu in advance.