SF Climate Week brought together innovators passionate about tackling the climate crisis, and we at Shovels were thrilled to be right in the mix! Alongside our friends and fellow data pioneers at Texture, Bayou Energy, and Palmetto, we co-hosted an Energy Hackathon focused on a mission close to our hearts: unleashing the power of data for sustainable solutions.
The challenge? To leverage APIs providing rich energy, building, and location data to create novel climate tech applications in just 24 hours. The response? Incredible! Several teams dove headfirst into the challenge, demonstrating ingenuity and a drive to make a real difference.
Innovative Sparks: Clever Data Applications
It was fascinating to see how participants combined diverse datasets to build their visions:
- Team Voltiv: Focused on the critical issue of grid reliability, this team developed a platform concept to help utilities optimize maintenance for assets like transformers. They used Palmetto's demand data and envisioned integrating sensor data and potentially Shovels data to predict maintenance needs more accurately than traditional age-based schedules.
- Solar Share: Tackling energy access, Solar Share aimed to connect renters and condo owners—who often can't install rooftop solar—with opportunities to invest collectively in community solar and wind projects. We were particularly excited to see them use Shovels data to identify viable project locations, estimate permitting times, and calculate potential job value. They also integrated data from Texture, Bayou, and Palmetto for energy projections and smart contracts.
- Hackathon Energy: This team addressed the high cost of grid interconnection for new developments. Their solution proposed tying community microgrids directly into municipal utilities, using energy data to model cost savings and aiming to use Shovels data to find developers pursuing relevant projects.
- Team Kelp: Focused on consumer and small business action, Team Kelp designed a system to score businesses on energy efficiency using utility data via Bayou. Their clever Chrome extension concept would display this "Kelp Score" on platforms like Yelp, nudging consumers and incentivizing businesses (with suggestions potentially powered by Palmetto data) towards greater efficiency.
Other projects explored aggregating Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) for businesses using utility and device data, and creating AI-powered energy dashboards for building portfolio managers.
And the Winners Are...
The creativity on display made judging tough! We were fortunate to have insights from judges including Russell Sproul from Virta Ventures and representatives from Stepchange Ventures who also addressed the hackers, emphasizing the vital role of software in climate solutions.
After deliberation, the judges announced the winners:
- 1st Place: Team Voltiv! The judges highlighted their impressive UI and compelling use case, recognizing the potential for a valuable business solution addressing real utility needs.
- 2nd Place: Battery Bought! This team was praised for a great presentation and a working demo that directly matched the APIs and business use case.
- 3rd Place: Hackathon Energy! This team earned recognition for tackling the significant challenge of microgrid development and interconnection in a novel way.
Congratulations to the winners and indeed to all the teams – as judge Charles Oppenheimer aptly put it, by collaborating and building on your ideas, you've already won.
Building the Future, Together
The SF Climate Week Energy Hackathon was a powerful reminder that innovation thrives on collaboration and accessible data. Seeing the creative fusion of energy insights from Texture, Bayou, and Palmetto with Shovels' detailed understanding of the built environment was truly inspiring. We're excited by the potential seeded during these 24 hours and look forward to seeing how these projects – and the talented individuals behind them – continue to contribute to a more sustainable future.
A huge thank you to the participants, our co-hosts, the judges, and the supporting VCs for making this event a resounding success!