News

Eesti Energia's international design competition Enefit Idea Hub – The Pitch was won by the MultiFuse created by Sander Vahtras, a smart, remote-controlled main fuse that allows to sell more energy and to optimally load the network.

According to the idea author, MultiFuse allows for the prevention and resolution of the additional network burden associated with the spread of electric cars, which is becoming a problem with the proliferation of very large electric vehicles in Norway. Vahtras also came close to victory last year when Multicharge, a smart charger capable of loading multiple electric cars, came second.

/-/doc/8457332/news/pitch_finaal3.jpg

“MultiFuse is a smart, remote-controlled main fuse, allowing the network company to change the size of the main fuse in real time between customers as needed and, if necessary, increase the size of the main fuse in the short term,” Vahtras explained. “MultiFuse enables to sell more energy without increasing the capacity of the existing network and to optimally load the network. I am very glad and a little surprised that I have won, but with Eesti Energia we can find ways to make things happen not only in Estonia but in the whole world.”

Second in the competition was the smart app Elektrilevi Storm App, which would give the network company a tool to provide customers with information on power outages faster, more accurately and to a greater extent. The third prize went to the idea of an accessory that transforms a window frame into a heating and ventilation system.

According to Hando Sutter, chairman of Eesti Energia's management board, the jury quickly agreed on the winner because it met three critical conditions: it was innovative, it fit with the corporate strategy, and it was scalable, that is, capable of changing the world.

“The electricity network is facing major challenges worldwide as the accelerating proliferation of electric vehicles, heating equipment and other large consumers makes it necessary to find smart solutions for load management right now. MultiFuse is a very practical answer to these problems,” Sutter said. “I believe that, in cooperation with the author of the idea, we will reach the first results within the next 12 months. We test it first in Estonia and then take it to the world.”

Margus Vals, chief executive of the idea contest “The Pitch”, stated that the participation in energy sector innovation does not have to be an education as an energy engineer or an engineer, because in addition to developing technological innovations, they are increasingly combined with new business models and competencies.

“Eesti Energia aims to create services that are based on innovative technology, but are simple, convenient and useful to the user,” Vals said. “With business activity in six markets in the Baltic and Nordic countries and in Poland, we have nearly 60 million potential customers. I was very pleased to see that most finalists thought big, seeing potential beyond Estonia in their product, service or a smart solution moving towards them.”

The idea contest sought innovative ideas for developing new services and technical solutions to support them, in order to bring the future closer to us faster and to create smart, environmentally friendly and convenient services.

222 ideas were submitted to the competition. The services field was the most successful, with a total of 90 ideas presented. 76 ideas wanted to contribute to smart city and 56 ideas wanted to contribute to smart transport.

Most of the ideas, 149 in total, were submitted from Estonia. Poland received 20, Latvia and Lithuania 15, and Finland and Sweden received 6 ideas. The Pitch also gained international attention because 11 ideas were presented outside Eesti Energia's home markets, among others from Germany, the United States and Sri Lanka. Among the semi-finalists, 21 ideas are from Estonia, 4 from Latvia and Lithuania, and one from Sweden and Finland. A total of 100 ideas were submitted in 2018.

The jury of Eesti Energia's idea contest included Hando Sutter, chairman of Eesti Energia's management board, and Agnes Roos, head of business and information technology at the company, Jaanus Tiisvend, chairman of Elektrilevi’s management board, and Anu Oks, chief executive of the Estonian Business Angels Network.

/-/doc/8457332/news/pitch_finaal1.jpg

Enefit Idea Hub - The Pitch finalists

AirFrame A smart window frame that works as a ventilation and heating device. Airframe makes it possible to save on heating costs, to improve the home indoor climate, and to help reduce CO2 emissions.

COOLify A playful smart app that lets you track and neutralize your CO2 footprint. The money earned will be used to build solar parks, and the revenue earned will turn into new solar parks.

Drivest A solution that allows corporate cars to make money during non-business hours by renting them out to both private and business users.

Elektrilevi Storm App A smart app that provides the customer with personalized information on power recovery, related activities, and more, in the event of storms and other events that could cause a power outage.

MultiFuse Smart, remote-controlled main fuse, allowing the network company to change the size of the main fuse in real time between customers as needed and, if necessary, increase the size of the main fuse in the short term In addition, it gives customers the ability to remotely control the main fuse.

NutiParkla Monitoring of available parking spaces with sensors and image recognition and transmission of information through the app to both parking operators and customers.

SmartPole Provides electric poles with sensors, providing a pre-warning system that allows real-time monitoring and response to potential power outages.

Smart Residential Heating Solutions An electric heating solution that uses the software to find the optimal heating solution according to predetermined parameters, including environmental impacts.

The Power Bank Park Creates power-bank rental points in popular places, where people can take a power-bank and return it to another point as needed.

Virtual Assistant A sales people training algorithm that provides suggestions on how to interact with customers and what to offer to each individual customer.