Sunfire joins Cleantech Scale-up Coalition to accelerate European climate and industrial leadership
Brussels, October 24, 2022
Paving the way for Europe’s climate neutrality, energy autonomy and industrial competitiveness: Sunfire, along with seven other leading European cleantech companies, has announced the formation of a new Cleantech Scale-up Coalition aiming to usher in a new era of climate and industrial leadership for Europe. The coalition is supported by Bill Gates, founder of Breakthrough Energy, and Kadri Simson, European Commissioner for Energy.
The founding members of the coalition are companies that scale and industrialize clean technologies. Their products and services range from decarbonizing industry and energy with renewable hydrogen, producing scalable low-carbon cement, electrifying transportation to recycling materials and batteries.
While Europe has developed most of the technologies it needs to reach net zero, it is still struggling to scale and industrialize them. Widespread deployment of innovative clean technologies is crucial to achieving Europe’s climate, energy, and competitiveness goals and to strengthening the region’s resilience to future shocks.
Nils Aldag, CEO of Sunfire, emphasized the pressure for action in Europe: “The widespread interest in cleantech is good, but impactful action is better”, he said. “Industry and politics in Europe need to act quickly so as not to be left behind in green technologies such as electrolyzers for the production of green hydrogen. Other countries are forging ahead: the recently passed US Inflation Reduction Act has once again increased the pressure on Europe. Fast and pragmatic decisions are needed instead of long debates and bureaucracy – otherwise Europe will lose its lead."
He highlighted the opportunities presented by the Coalition: “With the new Cleantech Scale-up Coalition, we are creating a strong alliance with financial and innovative power. We are working with industry leaders and policymakers to get regulation right while avoiding mistakes of the past. This will secure Europe's role as a global climate and industry leader."
Europe currently faces an energy crisis and the threat of climate change. The clean energy transition is therefore more important and pressing than ever. “We need to rapidly scale up innovative technologies, and this new coalition of cleantech frontrunners will help us get there”, said Kadri Simson, European Commissioner for Energy.
Founding members of the coalition are: H2 Green Steel (near zero-carbon steelmaking), Sunfire (renewable hydrogen), Volta Trucks (full-electric trucks), Plastic Energy (chemical recycling), Enapter (renewable hydrogen), Ecocem (scalable low-clinker cement), Electrochaea (renewable power-to-gas), and Hydrovolt (battery recycling). The work of the coalition will be facilitated by Cleantech for Europe, an initiative bridging the gap between cleantech and leading policy makers.
More information and updates on the work of the coalition can be found here.
Image: © Cleantech for Europe