"Top 10 Innovations" is an event to select the most notable among recent innovative developments in energy and climate change mitigation. By examining the field "Top 10 Innovations" will provide the latest snapshot of technology development and diffusion with the potential to transform society in the fields of energy and environment. The event helps us to understand the state and trends of innovations in each respective area, and helps find areas where further efforts are needed in the future.
| Category | Title | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| Research & Development: Commercial potential of the innovation by 2050 |
A new development of viable sodium-ion battery | Washington State University and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) |
| Research & Development: Commercial potential of the innovation by 2050 |
A new method which converts CO2 to methane at low temperature | Waseda University |
| Research & Development: Commercial potential of the innovation by 2050 |
Direct solar-to-hydrogen production process with high efficiency by perovskite-silicon tandem absorbers | Australian National University |
| Research & Development: Commercial potential of the innovation by 2050 |
Dramatic increase in solar cell output (2 electrons with 1 photon) | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) |
| Adoption & Implementation: Commercial potential of the innovation by 2030 |
The world's highest efficiency fuel cell for residential use | Osaka Gas, AISIN SEIKI, Kyocera, Noritz, PURPOSE, and Rinnai |
| Adoption & Implementation: Commercial potential of the innovation by 2030 |
The world's first liquefied hydrogen carrier building an International hydrogen energy supply chain | HySTRA [Iwatani Corporation/Kawasaki Heavy Industries/Shell Japan /J-POWER/Marubeni Corporation/ENEOS Corporation/“K” LINE] |
| Adoption & Implementation: Commercial potential of the innovation by 2030 |
New concrete manufacturing technologies with saving fresh water and reducing carbon footprint | Solidia Technologies |
| Adoption & Implementation: Commercial potential of the innovation by 2030 |
A new development of Medium Voltage Switchgear without SF6 | Schneider Electric |
| Adoption & Implementation: Commercial potential of the innovation by 2030 |
Future fuel capabilities for shipping and energy sector with first ammonia tests | Wärtsilä |
| Adoption & Implementation: Commercial potential of the innovation by 2030 |
A new technology changing CO2 to a mineral in concrete manufacturing | CarbonCure Technologies |
| Category | Title | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| Research & Development: Commercial Potential of the Technological Innovation by 2050 |
Carbon-neutral fuel made from sunlight and air | ETH Zurich |
| Research & Development: Commercial Potential of the Technological Innovation by 2050 |
A new chemical catalyst based on indium oxide that converts CO2 and hydrogen into methanol | ETH Zurich |
| Research & Development: Commercial Potential of the Technological Innovation by 2050 |
New minerals for carbon capture | University of Alberta, University of British Columbia and University of Queensland |
| Research & Development: Commercial Potential of the Technological Innovation by 2050 |
Solar energy becomes biofuel without solar cells | Uppsala University |
| Adoption & Implementation: Commercial Potential of the Technological Innovation by 2030 |
A sharing service using battery-replaceable electric smart scooter and a charging station for replaceable batteries | e-SHARE Ishigaki Co., Ltd. and Gogoro Inc. |
| Adoption & Implementation: Commercial Potential of the Technological Innovation by 2030 |
Commercialization of alcohol-to-jet, sustainable aviation fuel | Lanza Tech |
| Adoption & Implementation: Commercial Potential of the Technological Innovation by 2030 |
Megawatt-scale solid polymer hydrogen generation system enclosed in a 40-foot container | Hitachi Zosen Corporation |
| Adoption & Implementation: Commercial Potential of the Technological Innovation by 2030 |
Electrothermal energy storage system can store up to 130 megawatt-hours of thermal for a week in volcanic rock | Siemens Gamesa |
| Adoption & Implementation: Commercial Potential of the Technological Innovation by 2030 |
Floating offshore wind power generation system in shallow water area | NEDO (Marubeni Corporation, Hitachi Zosen Corporation , GLOCAL corporation, Cosmo Eco Power Co., Ltd., The University of Tokyo, Kyuden Mirai Energy Company, Incorporated） |
| Adoption & Implementation: Commercial Potential of the Technological Innovation by 2030 |
Fully-integrated flow battery | Avalon Battery Corporation |
| Category | Title | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| Technologies foreseen by 2050 | New materials for photocatalysts to produce hydrogen | Osaka University |
| Technologies foreseen by 2050 | High efficiency ammonia synthesis from water and nitrogen | Giner Inc., Newton, MA |
| Technologies foreseen by 2050 | Advanced small modular reactor (aSMR) | Advanced Reactor Concepts, LLC. |
| Technologies foreseen by 2050 | Capture and conversion of atmospheric CO2 into carbon nanotubes | C2CNT LLC |
| Technologies foreseen by 2050 | Turning carbon dioxide into concrete | University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) CO2Concrete, LLC |
| Technologies foreseen by 2050 | Development of a new, low combustible electrolyte for lithium ion batteries | Hitachi and the Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials of Tohoku University |
| Technologies foreseen by 2050 | The world's first 100 kW class demonstration test of ocean current power generation | NEDO and IHI Corporation |
| Business Model Transformation | Converting waste heat into electricity | Climeon |
| Business Model Transformation | Delivering 100 MW storage within 100 days | Tesla, Inc. |
| Business Model Transformation | The world’s first hydrogen-powered train | Alstom |
| Category | Title | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| R&D Solar | 31.17% solar sunroof triple-junction module efficiency | Sharp |
| R&D Solar | New world record for thin-film solar cells | ZSW (Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg) |
| R&D Solar | World’s highest conversion efficiency of 26.33% achieved in a crystalline silicon solar cell | Kaneka Corporation |
| R&D Hydrogen | Water splitting–biosynthetic system with CO2 reduction efficiencies exceeding photosynthesis | Harvard University |
| R&D Energy Storage | High-power all-solid-state batteries using sulfide superionic conductors | Tokyo Institute of Technology, Toyota Motor Corporation |
| R&D Energy Storage | Long-lasting flow battery could run for more than a decade with minimum upkeep | Harvard University |
| Pilot & Start-up Wind & Energy Storage | World’s tallest wind turbine integrated with pumped storage hydro | Max Bögl Wind AG, GE Renewable Energy |
| Pilot & Start-up Biomass | Flight powered by biofuel made from residual wood | Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance, ICM, GEVO |
| Pilot & Start-up Biomass | 100 percent bio-based plastics for beverage bottles | Anellotech, Suntory |
| Pilot & Start-up Smart Grid/Microgrid | Demonstration of peer to peer electricity trading using blockchain technology | LO3 Energy, Siemens |
| Pilot & Start-up Smart Grid/Microgrid | Pioneering the networking of storage batteries with blockchain technology | Tennet, Sonnen, IBM |
| Pilot & Start-up PEB (Positive Energy Building) | Demonstration of Positive Energy Building Begins in Lyon | Toshiba |
| Category | Title | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| R&D Solar | French-German partnership achieves 46% PV conversion efficiency in the lab | Soitec, CEA-Leti, Fraunhofer ISE |
| R&D Others (carbon capture) | Researchers develop high-performance ionic-liquid-based membranes to capture CO2. | 3M Company (US), University of Colorado, Boulder (US) |
| Pilot & Start-up Wave | CETO 5 Wave Energy Farm commences operations in Australia | Carnegie Wave Energy Limited (Australia) |
| Pilot & Start-up Energy Storage | World's largest Superconducting Flywheel Energy Storage System test machine is developed | Railway Technical Research Institute, Kubotek Corporation, Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd., Mirapro Co., Ltd., Public Enterprise Bureau of Yamanashi Prefecture (Japan) |
| Commercialization Next-generation Cars | Toyota launches first commercial FCV, MIRAI | Toyota Motor Cooperation (Japan) |
| Commercialization Solar | Hybrid power plant with 600 kW of solar power was commissioned in Berlin | GE, Kofler Energies and BELECTRIC |
| Commercialization Next-generation Cars | Mazda releases the most fuel efficient diesel car ever - the Demio | Mazda (Japan) |
| Commercialization Wind | MHI Vestas V164-8.0 MW breaks power production record | MHI Vestas Offshore Wind A/S (Denmark) |
| Challenging Solar | Researchers at Michigan State University develop transparent solar windows | Michigan State University |
| Policy & Standardization Smart Grid | Europe creates a unified gas and electricity market | EU transmission companies (EU) |
| Title | Organization |
|---|---|
| Increasing community demonstration smart-grid projects involving consumers | NEDO |
| Achievement for the first time in 15 years of the world's highest photoelectric conversion efficiency of crystal silicon-based solar cells | Panasonic |
| Startup of demonstration operation of a floating offshore wind power system equipped with a transmission and distribution unit | Fukushima Offshore Wind Consortium |
| Development of a prototype vehicle running on a liquid fuel cell free of noble metals (overview) | Daihatsu Motor Co.,Ltd. |
| Dramatic efficiency improvement in perovskite-type solar cells | NIMS, JST |
| Successive announcement of commercial operation of CCS systems for coal-fired power plants | Global CCS Institute |
| Disaster-resistant microgrid technology | NEDO |
| Development of a new type of a nanostructured carbon-based catalyst electrode for next-generation fuel cells | Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) |
| Initiative for a vehicle-to-building system in progress | Nissan Motor Corporation |
| Development of a SiC power semiconductor for automobiles | Toyota Motor Corporation |