Energy Efficiency
The Energy Efficiency category includes technologies that enable us to save energy in industrial processes, commercial applications as well as at home. Saving energy reduces greenhouse gas emissions and has also a positive impact on expenditures on energy. Examples include advanced light sources and controls, smart/ userfriendly energy management systems, energy-efficient water heaters and other appliances, high-efficiency industrial process systems, energy efficient technologies for construction, motors, pumps, and advanced heat sensor and cooling systems.
Renewable Energy
The Renewable Energy category is open for energy generation technologies utilizing renewable resources such as solar, hydro, wind, wave and biomass. The application of technologies that will remove reliance on fossil-based energy. By applying the technologies, it will reduce consumption of fossil, reduce energy bills, and create societal benefits where energy is available to all. Examples include solar powered appliances, mini-hydro, hybrid solar and wind energy capture and heat energy recovery.
Waste Beneficiation
Waste Beneficiation focuses on novel cradle-to-cradle approaches to the reduction, reuse and recycling technologies, as well as innovative business models and approaches to materials usage. Waste beneficiation technology examples include: waste management equipment; sorting; resource recovery processes including e-waste; pollution prevention, control, and treatment technologies; as well as waste reduction through innovative recycling processes and new recyclable materials.
Technologies include:
Waste clean-up and remediation, Combined heat and power (CHP) and Reprocessing technologies for: municipal waste, waste plastic, waste tyres, organic waste and electronic waste.
Specific products include:
Products with toxic constituents that may become a problem at the end of life. Examples include: batteries, electronics, used oil, pharmaceuticals, paint and paint products (latex oil-based paints and thinners), pesticides, radioactive materials, products containing mercury and cadmium including thermometers, thermostats, electrical switches (including automotive), and fluorescent lamps.Large products that are not easily and conveniently thrown out as waste. Examples include: carpets, building materials, TVs, computers, appliances, tyres, propane tanks and gas canisters. Products with multiple material types that make them difficult to recover in traditional recycling systems. Examples include: packaging, electronics, and vehicles.
Water Efficiency
The Water Efficiency category includes technologies which address drinking water distribution, usage or treatment, recycling & reuse of industrial and household water and in-sludge management, exploitation of alternative resources for production of clean water and the attempt to integrate both waste and water management.Solutions can include purification, water saving devices, rain-harvesting systems and
water monitoring systems for efficient water consumption.
Green Buildings
The Green Buildings category focuses on reducing the environmental impact of construction by producing innovative, energy- and material efficient building materials. This category also encompasses improved design or construction practices. Examples include improved site planning, water management systems, reduction of hazardous materials in building construction or operation, use of new environmentally friendly or recycled materials, systems to improve indoor environmental quality and systems for improved waste reduction or disposal. Examples include Insulation materials, Cement alternatives, Cement production techniques, Building integrated PV (BIPV), Indoor air filtration systems, Modular housing, Architectural Designs for thermal management, Office environment, Low VOC carpeting and flooring, HVAC, Water saving toilets, showers, plumbing, Residential heat pumps, Recycled materials for use in building material, Design improvements to commercial environment, Carbon neutral housing, Wood modification technologies, Bio-based materials (like corn and soybean laminates), Production of lightweight and curved concrete structures, and Novel construction materials with controllable optical characteristics.
Transportation
The Transportation category covers innovative technology that not only improve our means and ways of mobility, but also reduces environmental impact of mobility markets. Start-ups that are focused on electric vehicles, motorbikes, aviation, trains and fleet logistics should choose this category. Green Transportation encompasses transportation and mobile technology applications that improve fuel efficiency, produce biofuels for transportation, reduce air pollution, reduce oil consumption or reduce vehicle travel (not limited to automobiles). Technologies are applied directly to transportation systems or vehicles. Examples include new vehicles and new types of transport services and infrastructure, efficient and portable batteries, fuel cells and bio-based transportation fuels and use of information technologies.
Advanced Materials & Chemicals
The advanced materials & chemicals category is focused on the design of chemicals,materials and processes that reduce or eliminate the generation of hazardous substances, increase energy-efficiency, and reduce waste. The innovations in this category can relate to nanomaterials, fibers, plastics, polymers, composites, coatings, thin films, enzymes and green chemicals. Previous GCIP winners in this category have included the development of bio-plastics for bio-degradable food packaging and anorganic nano-technology-based anti-fouling coating for large commercial ships.