Eligibility and Funding Limits

All entries must be a start-up that has received less than $1,000,000 in external private financing at the time of competition entry. Grant funding and any money from yourself, friends and family are excluded from this $1,000,000 limit but in total, funding received by the business must be less than $5,000,000.

Any Australian resident with a cleantech idea is eligible to compete in the Australian Cleantech Competition. However, a legal entity (public or pty ltd company or similar) must be created prior to being able to be shortlisted as a Semi-Finalist and such legal entity must have an ownership structure typical of an independent start-up.

Your idea or business must fit into one of the cleantech categories below:

Air Water & Waste

Ways to cut pollution

Air Water & Waste category entries focus on improving resource availability, conservation and pollution control. Air covers services, instruments and equipment related to emission control, treatment or reduction technologies. Also included are creative approaches to greenhouse gas reduction, including carbon conversion and sequestration. Water covers treatment, storage and monitoring, recycling and conservation technologies. Waste covers waste management equipment; sorting; resource recovery processes; pollution prevention, control, and treatment technology; as well as waste reduction through innovative recycling processes and creation of new recyclable materials, such as bio-based plastics.

Example technologies:

• Storm-water and flood control, rainwater harvesting
• Smart irrigation
• Water filtration and disinfection
• Advanced filters and filtration (air or water)
• Carbon and GHG monitoring and control
• Carbon capture sequestration, storage
• Waste cleanup and remediation

Energy Efficiency

More efficient methods and devices

The Energy Efficiency category comprises technology that can significantly reduce wasted energy and help to lessen the need for additional power plants. Examples include advanced light sources and controls, smart / user-friendly energy management systems, energy-efficient water heaters and other appliances, high-efficiency industrial process systems, motors, pumps, and advanced space heating and cooling systems.

Example technologies:

• Industrial process improvements
• Natural gas monitoring and control (industrial or residential)
• LED lighting
• Advanced lighting controls
• HVAC solutions
• Utility scale natural gas controls

Renewable Energy

Replacements for fossil fuels

The Renewable Energy category includes innovations that use, enable and accelerate the migration to renewable energy. Renewables encompass technologies that use waste streams to directly produce energy. Examples include low-emission power sources, such as solar, biofuels, wind, wave and tidal energy and hydropower.

Example technologies:

• Solar for energy production
• Thin film solar manufacture
• Concentrating solar PV
• Biobased fuels
• Hydropower
• Advanced fluid flow designs
• Wind power technologies

Green Building

New kinds of buildings or materials

The Green Building category focuses on reducing the environmental impact of building construction or operation through improved design or construction practices, new or innovative use of building materials, or new hardware or software applications. Technologies are applied directly to the built environment. Examples include water management systems, reduction of hazardous materials in building construction or operation, use of new environmentally friendly or recycled materials, systems to improve indoor environmental quality and systems for improved waste reduction or disposal.

Example technologies:

• Insulation materials
• Cement alternatives
• Indoor air filtration systems
• Disaster relief and modular housing
• Low VOC carpeting and flooring
• Water saving toilets, showers, plumbing
• Recycled materials for use in building material

Smart Power, Green Grid, Energy Storage

Better ways of carrying electricity or storing it

The Smart Power, Green Grid and Energy Storage category encourages links between information technologies and electricity delivery that give industrial, commercial and residential consumers greater control over when and how their energy is delivered and used. It includes improvements in all forms of energy storage, from battery technology for consumer-scale products to large chemical, metal, biological or other approaches to storage of utility-scale energy, as well as methods for controlling or increasing the efficiency of energy storage or energy transmission. Examples include wireless metering and use of real-time pricing information, intelligent sensors, batteries, fuel cells, fly-wheels, and advanced materials or systems for energy transmission, such as hardware and software controls.

Example technologies:

• Real-time power monitoring
• Network architecture for power management
• Hydrogen storage
• Battery form factor improvements
• Advanced fuel cell membranes
• Power storage
• Transmission efficiency

Transportation

Greener cars, buses, trucks or planes

The Transportation category encompasses transportation and mobile technology applications that improve fuel efficiency, reduce air pollution, reduce oil consumption or reduce vehicle travel (not limited to automobiles). Technologies are applied directly to transportation systems or vehicles. Examples include new vehicles and new types of transport services and infrastructure, efficient batteries, fuel cells, bio-based transportation fuels and use of information technologies.

Example technologies:

• Fleet and route management systems
• Logistics management
• Carpooling solutions
• All electric vehicles
• Flex fuel engines and applications
• Drivetrain conversion kits
• Monitoring and control of driver behavior