The energy transition has a geography problem.
Wind and solar have transformed the grid in many parts of the world but they leave critical gaps: remote communities still running on diesel, maritime operations still dependent on fossil fuels, coastlines and rivers whose energy potential remains entirely untapped. The five ventures in the Clean Maritime Energy & Sustainable Infrastructure cluster of the AquaSphere 2026 Cohort are each attacking a different part of this problem, from hydrokinetic river systems to wind-assisted shipping, from wave energy to waste-heat recovery at sea.
🇩🇰 Millfield Technology ApS : Hydropower without dams
Most hydropower requires dams, civil works, and years of permitting. Millfield Technology has built a different kind of system entirely. Its Millfield Flow Converter (MFC) generates electricity by harnessing river flow through a crane-like structure with horizontal and vertical wings, no dam, no major infrastructure, installed in a single day from a standard 40-foot container. Validated by the Technical University of Denmark and supported by 60+ investors, the MFC operates at low speeds with minimal environmental impact and is designed for both energy-poor regions and developed markets seeking distributed renewable capacity.
🇳🇱 Slow Mill Sustainable Power B.V. : Wave energy as a plug-and-play resource
Wave energy has long promised more than it has delivered, complex installation, high maintenance, and performance that falls short in moderate seas. Slow Mill has developed a patented wave energy system designed specifically to work in those conditions, with a wingblade mechanism that brings the device into resonance with waves to maximise yield. Each unit produces enough energy for 100–200 households with net-zero emissions, requires no diver intervention for installation, and doubles as an artificial reef, delivering up to 50% more local biodiversity through its anchor system. A demo installation off the island of Texel is underway.
🇳🇱 TouchWind B.V. : Wind-assisted propulsion for maritime shipping
Shipping faces rising fuel costs and tightening emission targets, yet most wind propulsion solutions require costly retrofits, create operational constraints, or conflict with cargo handling. TouchWind‘s Wind-Assisted Ship Propulsion (WASP) system takes a different approach: containerised, portable, and installable without permanent structural modifications. Based on a unique tilting single-blade rotor design developed through partnerships with MARIN, TNO, and Mitsui OSK Lines, the system reduces fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions while remaining flexible enough to be relocated across vessels. Excess wind energy can also power onboard systems, eliminating the need for shore power or diesel generators in port.
🇩🇰 HyKin Energy A/S : Decentralised water and energy from natural flow
Access to clean water and reliable energy are inseparable challenges in many of the world’s most water-dependent regions, and both are typically solved by infrastructure that is too costly or too slow to build. HyKin Energy has developed a decentralised architecture that converts natural water flow from rivers, streams, and marine currents into pressurised irrigation water, treated drinking water, and off-grid electricity, with no external energy input required. Developed in collaboration with DTU Skylab and validated through the Danish Tech Challenge 2024, the HyKin Pump is designed to scale from single-community deployment toward larger infrastructure installations over time.
🇮🇳 Uravu Labs : Waste-heat-driven HVAC efficiency for ships
HVAC systems are among the largest energy loads on commercial vessels, yet most efficiency efforts focus elsewhere. Uravu Labs has built a waste-heat-driven liquid desiccant system that removes moisture upstream of cooling coils, reducing the latent load that makes conventional ship HVAC so energy-intensive. Using low-grade waste heat (50-60°C) from ship engines and generators to regenerate the desiccant, the system delivers 40-74% reductions in HVAC energy consumption and 5–10% total fuel savings, without replacing core infrastructure. A further benefit: the system generates freshwater from captured humidity, reducing dependence on desalination and shore supply during long deployments.
These five ventures are not working on the same technology, and they are not targeting the same market. What they share is a conviction that the energy and infrastructure systems powering maritime and coastal economies must change, and that distributed, low-impact, water-based solutions have a central role to play in that transition.
They are part of the AquaSphere 2026 Cohort, 20 deep-tech ventures from 14 countries across 4 continents, supported by the AquaSphere Accelerator Programme, funded by the European Union, EIT RawMaterials, and the EIT Higher Education Initiative.
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