Innovative Solutions

The Grow Greener Together Innovation Challenge is an open call for start-ups and scale-ups worldwide that have the solutions to our challenges. It is an opportunity to share their proposal with us and discover how a collaboration with Nobian can accelerate their impact and bring their solution to scale.

We believe that collaborating with start-ups and scale-ups gives us the potential to revolutionize the chemicals and energy industries, and create a better future for everyone. We have formulated some key areas of interest detailed below in our challenge statements and Exploration Model. However, we believe that you, founder, know your solution best and will apply if you foresee the potential to collaborate with Nobian to Grow Greener Together.

Theme 1

Local energy storage flexibility

energy

In our drive to green and sustainable processes, we strive to accommodate as much renewable energy as possible in our production process, which makes it crucial to balance supply and demand. Within the ‘local energy storage flexibility’ domain, we seek solutions able to capture and release large amounts of energy at a moment’s notice to power our industrial processes.

Solutions areas we believe have the potential for local energy storage flexibility:

  • Electrical
  • Mechanical
  • Thermal
  • Chemical
Theme 2

Balancing energy volatility

energy2

Our industrial processes have limited turndown and ramp up/down speed and are not always suitable to follow the sustainable energy supply volatility. Hence, we are searching for innovative solutions able to operate within the limits of our product supply obligations. Other solutions in the energy value chain, or any other technical or non-technical route that achieves similar results, are of interest to us as well.

Solutions areas we believe have the potential for balancing energy volatility:

  • Plant energy management
  • Cross-plant integrations (across the value chain)
  • Flexible energy generation
  • Improved electrolyzers
Theme 3

CO2-free heat & steam

co2heat

On our journey to fully renewable-powered by 2040, we are eager to meet with companies working on CO2-neutral solutions and steam for our salt crystallization processes (run at 165˚C, and 3,5 bar (g)). Standard technologies we already use or know are wind, solar PV, nuclear, blue energy, geothermal, tidal energy, and energy from waste combustion. These are not eligible unless you have realized a real breakthrough. Don’t see your solution direction in this list? Then we are interested.

Solutions areas we believe have the potential for CO2-free heat & steam:

  • Carbon capture, utilization, and storage
  • Alternative heat generation
Theme 4

Improved heat integration

heatconsumption

To reduce heat consumption and boost the efficiency of heat integration, we are looking for technologies able to valorize the waste heat we generate during our processes. Examples include vacuum salt generation (~100 MW at 40˚C) and chlorine electrolysis (~100 MW at 60˚C).

Solution areas we believe have the potential for improved heat integration:

  • Waste heat to electricity
  • Heat recovery equipment
  • Heat pumps
  • Heat efficiency modeling

Exploration Model

To successfully address our industries’ multi-layered challenges, it is essential to break them down into manageable solution directions with a focus on efficient energy use, energy storage, and monitoring solutions that have the most impact potential. Check out our model alongside to dive deeper into our four themes and our three identified solution directions. If you think your solution fits into one or more of the categories, apply now!