Shell United Kingdom You are in: Shell in UK About us Latest News & Features 2017 News & Features Shell celebrates UK Low-Carbon Innovation SHELL CELEBRATES UK LOW-CARBON INNOVATION Shell LiveWIRE and Shell Springboard announce national winners Shell has awarded a total of £180,000 of equity free funding to Upside Energy and Aceleron as the national winners of Shell Springboard and Shell LiveWIRE. With a total of £440,000 in funding available in 2017, the programmes are designed to recognise and reward the most innovative UK low-carbon businesses and the most inspirational young sustainability entrepreneurs. The Shell Springboard and Shell LiveWIRE programmes are designed to support UK entrepreneurs in starting-up and scaling-up innovative businesses that have the potential to accelerate the transition to a sustainable, low-carbon economy. The 2017 Shell Springboard National Winner, Upside Energy, received a total of £150,000 to support the scale-up and commercialisation of its technology. Upside Energy has developed a cloud-based energy aggregation service that creates a Virtual Energy Store that can be sold to the grid to help balance supply and demand and which helps reduce the need to turn on the older, most polluting and expensive power stations during peak demand times. Upside Energy was chosen from six national finalists, out of a total of 131 applicants to the programme. Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 Carlton Cummins (Aceleron) 2017 Shell Springboard National Winner Upside Energy (Graham Oakes and Lesley Allan) Carlton Cummins from Aceleron was awarded a total of £30,000 as the Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year. The equity-free funding will help Aceleron to develop its technology which aims to tackle battery waste by transforming end-of-life batteries into energy storage solutions. Commenting after the evening, held on 6 April 2017 at the Royal Academy of Engineering, Shell UK Country Chair, Sinead Lynch, said: “Congratulations to our Shell Springboard and Shell LiveWIRE 2017 winners. Upside Energy and Aceleron are excellent examples of the innovation, creativity and hard work that is driving entrepreneurial growth in the UK today. “SMEs are an important force within the low-carbon economy. We know accessing finance is a key barrier to growth, and our programmes aim to provide a vital foothold in the funding ladder. In addition, through our wider business support activities, such as coaching events, networking and publicity, we aim to help these inspirational entrepreneurs build successful businesses.” Professor Dame Julia King, a British engineer, crossbench member of the House of Lords and Chair of the Shell Springboard judging panel, said: “The overall quality of the Shell Springboard finalists this year was impressive – the judges had an inspiring day hearing from six young businesses focussed on making a difference. Their diverse approaches to innovation, encompassing technology, product, process and systems were backed up by strong business plans and delivered real CO2 savings. Many congratulations to Upside Energy.” Explore Shell LiveWIRE Read more about Shell Springboard Discover the Shell Enterprise Development Strategy Share this YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN Tomorrow’s Engineers To help inspire the next generation of engineers we are investing over £1million in Tomorrow’s Engineers. Girls in Energy An intensive year-long course that gives young women the information and inspiration they need to pursue a career in the energy industry. Bridging the gender divide Shell receives global recognition for its commitment to gender equality by being named in The Times Top 50 Employers for Women 2015. Hear from some of Shell's most prominent female employees. The Bright Ideas Challenge Find out how schools could win up to £5,000 to super-size STEM with The Bright Ideas Challenge, Shell’s cross-curricular schools competition. Connect with us More about Shell Careers Reports and publications Media UK Modern Slavery Act Shell Pension in the UK Can we help? Shell apps Contact us Help And Support Site information Accessibility Terms and conditions Privacy Policy Cookie policy Shell Global Helpline