The world faces a dual challenge, the need to reduce carbon emissions to net-zero while providing the increasing energy necessary for the world to continue to grow and prosper. The Sustainable Development Goals clearly reflect this need for sustainable and modern energy for all, while the world’s demand for energy continues to increase.
At BP they recognize the world is clearly not on a sustainable path and needs a rapid transition to a low carbon energy system. And they need collaboration to do this. In BP, their strategy is aligned with the Paris Agreement and they share the ambition to limit temperature rise. They are determined to be a part of the energy transition solution.
Renewables will play a key role in advancing the energy transition. They are the fastest-growing source of energy today, on course to provide at least 14% of the global energy mix by 2040. Innovative solutions have the potential to disrupt and have an even bigger impact on increasing the share of renewable energy. At BP, we have been in the renewables business for more than 20 years – we’re one of the largest operators among our peers and we’re expanding as we see more opportunities.
BP is proud to support the Lead 2030 Challenge for SDG 7. The Challenge aims to find and support innovative renewable energy solutions with the potential of substantially increasing the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
The challenge welcomes solutions from young innovators that:
- Are working to improve current renewable technologies such as solar, wind, and biofuels
- Are exploring new technologies to produce the renewable energy sources of the future
- Are increasing access to and the affordability of renewable energy for all developing countries, in particular the least developed countries.
Worth of Award
The winning solution will receive;
- A US$50,000 grant from BP
- 12 months of mentorship from a team of BP professionals. The mentorship team will work to accelerate your solution based on the needs of your initiative or organization, such as:
- Business strategy
- Best practices for data collection
- Monitoring and evaluation
- Product design
Eligibility
To be considered eligible;
- Aligned: Evidently aligned with the SDG7 challenge. See the ‘Challenge outline’.
- Youth-led: Founded by a person aged 18 – 30.
- Focused: Well-structured time horizon, identified key stakeholders and beneficiaries, and proposed outcomes that are reasonable and well thought out.
- Proven: Readily available, in or past implementation phase.
- Impactful: Solutions must have a positive social impact, for example generating employment, or developing skills.
- Measurable: Impacts of solutions must have been adequately measured and/or be measurable.
- Financially viable: Must be able to achieve efficiency and to survive independently through the resources they generate and/or the investments and donations they attract.
- Scalable: Potential to perform as well or better after expanding in scope or size and/or being transported to other regions.
How to Apply
The application is online. Visit the website and fill in the online application form.
Deadline: Application closes January 5, 2019.