For Immediate Release
Press Release
HANOI, February 23, 2022 – Today, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced its $2.5 million Innovation Challenge Fund, “Tomorrow’s Energy Creators,” which was designed to catalyze solutions to urban energy challenges. The announcement coincided with U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry’s visit to Hanoi where he and Ambassador Marc Knapper visited an exhibition of the first five awardees’ energy innovations.
The Innovation Challenge Fund provides awards up to $100,000 to organizations with promising new products, business models or financing models for advanced, distributed urban energy systems in Danang and/or Ho Chi Minh City. Successful pilots and demonstrations may receive further support to scale and become commercially viable.
“We’re in a race against time to avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis. It’s a pleasure to engage here in Vietnam with such promising young entrepreneurs and to witness their vision to accelerate the clean energy transition. They are an inspiring reflection of the real potential across Vietnam.” - U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry
“Reducing emissions from the energy sector is critical for Vietnam to reach its net-zero goals,” said Mission Director Ann Marie Yastishock. “A key part of our partnership with Vietnam is to catalyze and expand the market potential for innovative solutions to urban energy and environmental issues. USAID is proud to announce a new Innovation Challenge Fund to support organizations with promising ideas to improve urban energy resilience. We are honored to welcome Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry here today to observe the innovations of the fund’s first five award recipients.”
The first round of awards under the fund are going to support innovative technologies or practices covering transportation, building efficiency, electricity generation, electricity delivery and management, and water efficiency. The five first awardees are:
The School of Electrical Engineering at Hanoi University of Science and Technology, to pilot eco-power meters for use in the commercial & industrial sector
Energy Saving Solutions Vietnam, for its cooling storage system technology for use in the commercial & industrial sector
TAM Consultancy Co. Ltd. to pilot a smart control system for air compressors for use in the industrial sector
VietnamNet ICOM Media, for an innovative smartphone application to encourage energy savings by electricity customers
Allotrope Partners to pilot a battery energy storage system in the commercial & industrial sector
For event photos, visit: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzDqXZ
For more information about USAID’s Vietnam Urban Energy Security project, please visit: https://www.usaid.gov/vietnam/documents/fact-sheet-usaid-vietnam-urban-energy-security.