The finalist teams for the 2020 Future of Energy Challenge have been selected and represent various academic institutions and professional industries. The teams will now work with their assigned mentors from Shell to refine their proposals into strong business cases. Teams will then travel to SxSW in Austin, Texas, in March 2020 to participate in an all-day accelerator to finalize their proposals into fully developed and scalable concepts. Teams will then pitch their market-ready proposals in front of an audience and panel of judges who will evaluate their solutions based on clarity, innovation, breakthrough potential, and feasibility of implementation. The audience will then vote to determine the winner of the 2020 Future of Energy Challenge. The winning team will be invited to attend Shell's Powering Progress Together (PPT) forum in San Francisco, California - an event which convenes leaders from across sectors to discuss and collaborate around accelerating the energy transition.

Scroll below to learn more about the 8 finalist teams and their innovative proposals!

University of Oregon - Port - Electric Mobility

SCHOOL NAME

University of Oregon

TEAM NAME

Port

TEAM BIOGRAPHY

We are MBA students from the University of Oregon's Center for Sustainable Business Practices who are skilled in business strategy and technical analysis and are fostering the transition to clean & renewable energy sources and a sustainable transportation system.

SUMMARY OF ELECTRIC MOBILITY IDEA

Our idea is to create an EV home charging installation, device rental, and grid management service.

WHAT IMPACT DO YOU WANT TO LEAVE ON THE WORLD THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER?

We want to offer a transition to a clean and renewable energy system that meets the needs of people now while leaving critical resources for those that come after us.

Washington DC Professional Chapter - Natured-Based Fuel Solutions - Alternative Fuels

NET IMPACT CHAPTER NAME

Washington D.C. Professional Chapter

TEAM NAME

Nature-Based Fuel Solutions

TEAM BIOGRAPHY

We are two DC professionals who met working at Enviva. We have backgrounds in forest carbon analysis, environmental policy, and sustainability reporting.

SUMMARY OF ALTERNATIVE FUELS IDEA

Our idea is around leveraging forest management in the western US to develop biofuels for the transportation sector.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO GAIN FROM THIS EXPERIENCE?

We're excited to learn more about developing an idea into a business model that can scale to meet global challenges.

Colorado State University - Ouro Mobility - Electric Mobility

SCHOOL NAME

Colorado State University

TEAM NAME

Ouro Mobility

TEAM BIOGRAPHY

We are MBA students from Colorado State University working on employing business solutions to help mitigate transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions. Our team has combined background experience in finance and accounting, commercial real estate, community engagement and development, vehicle powertrain engineering, and product development.

SUMMARY OF ELECTRIC MOBILITY IDEA

Our idea is an electric carsharing service designed for master-planned housing communities in suburban areas.

WHAT IS A FUN FACT ABOUT YOUR TEAM?

Our team traveled to Montreal, Canada, together in June 2019 to attend the World Summit on Sustainable Mobility.

Petal Transport - Petal Transport - Alternative Fuels

TEAM NAME

Petal Transport

TEAM BIOGRAPHY

We are a team of two designers drafting the future of micro-mobility. Beyond design we are re-imagining how fleets operate in the city and how the business of mobility is connected.

SUMMARY OF ALTERNATIVE FUELS IDEA

We are developing an alternative-fuel exchange network for Petal fleets to track use-demand and re-ups at docking stations along with energy inventory & management.

WHAT IMPACT DO YOU WANT TO LEAVE ON THE WORLD?

We are on a mission to change the way the whole world rides their bikes every day. We hope to change this for the betterment of global mobility.

Carnegie Mellon University - Electrolytes - Retail Stations

SCHOOL NAME

Carnegie Mellon University

TEAM NAME

Electrolytes

TEAM BIOGRAPHY

We are first-year MBA students from Carnegie Mellon University passionate about applying integrated business solutions to problems related to sustainability and access to clean energy.

SUMMARY OF RETAIL STATIONS IDEA

Our idea is to develop on-demand mobile electric vehicle charging stations to alleviate the biggest pain point of electric vehicle owners.

WHAT INSPIRED YOUR TEAM TO APPLY FOR THIS CHALLENGE?

The Future of Energy Challenge presents an opportunity for our team to work together in presenting a pitch and communicating our interest in developing sustainable energy solutions to fight climate change.

Rice, LSU, UTA - CtheTrees - Nature Based Solutions

SCHOOL NAMES

Rice University, Louisiana State University, and University of Texas at Austin

TEAM NAME

CtheTrees

TEAM BIOGRAPHY

We are a team of undergraduate chemical engineers ready to embark on ambitious careers in the energy sector and excited to develop the future of energy.

SUMMARY OF NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS IDEA

Our idea is a scalable digital platform to educate North American consumers on the benefits of nature-based solutions for carbon offsetting supported by the energy industry and other corporate partners.

WHAT INSPIRED YOUR TEAM TO APPLY FOR THIS CHALLENGE?

Our team was inspired by the opportunity to think broadly about the energy industry in transition and imagine what it will look like in 5, 10, or 50 years.

Carnegie Mellon University - EVergency - Access to Energy

SCHOOL NAME

Carnegie Mellon University

TEAM NAME

EVergency

TEAM BIOGRAPHY

We are a multidisciplinary team of students and faculty aiming to create innovative energy solutions in emergency situations.

SUMMARY OF ACCESS TO ENERGY IDEA

Our idea focuses on distributed solar energy generation at Shell stations to maintain electricity for charging and battery swapping during extreme weather. In tandem, our solution develops map-based application to optimize evacuation routes for electric vehicle owners.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO GAIN FROM THIS EXPERIENCE?

We hope to provide a way forward for large-scale adoption of electric vehicles and continue to learn about the industry from experts.

Texas State university

SCHOOL NAME

Texas State University

TEAM NAME

R.E.S: Resilient Energy Systems

TEAM BIOGRAPHY

We are a diverse team combining experience in business and engineering to solve real world problems focused on sustainability and access to energy.

SUMMARY OF ACCESS TO ENERGY IDEA

Our idea is around leveraging microgrids to provide resilient energy to hospitals during times of crisis. Our objective is to minimize the levelized cost of energy through a hybrid energy storage device.

WHAT INSPIRED YOUR TEAM TO APPLY FOR THIS CHALLENGE?

We want to face a challenging opportunity to further develop our idea into something that is feasible and scalable.