Strategy, policy and finance

E4tech provides strategy analysis and support for entrepreneurial organisations, major corporations, governments and multilateral institutions. We understand how businesses develop and what problems can restrict their growth, in addition to identifying new opportunities based on deep technical understanding and broad sectoral knowledge.

Energy was subject to regulation long before the emergence of sustainability as a policy driver, but this has now created a major area of policy intervention. The scale and nature of market failures such as climate change are leading to the application of new instruments and the emergence of new markets.  These markets provide opportunities for both innovators and investors.

Support skills and mechanisms

We have the flexibility to support business development at a wide range of scales and in many different areas. Examples include:

  • Market analyses: We can analyse potential markets based on a sound understanding of technology and opportunity, and suggest strategies for targeting them
  • Competitor analysis: An understanding of competitor technology capability and market strengths and weaknesses is essential, and our long experience in the industries we cover gives us both breadth and depth in this area
  • Business planning: Our experience in developing and reviewing business plans enables us to constructively critique and make suggestions for a range of clients. We often work with our partner company Orion Innovations to support innovative companies through the stages of growth.
  • Decision making under uncertainty: We understand that the novel energy technology sector is characterised by rapidly changing boundary conditions, and we have experience in supporting decision-making processes under those circumstances
  • Innovation system analysis: By assessing the functioning of a system it is possible to determine the areas where intervention is required and then to design interventions, which we have done on several engagements for policymakers and advisors.
  • Strategy advice and guidance: Our understanding of technology, business principles and policy and market environments allows us to give strategic advice guided by all of these factors, set in the specific context of an individual organisation’s strengths and ambitions
Some of E4tech’s recent projects in policy:
  • We have assisted the UK Government with the 2003 and 2007 Energy Reviews, providing various supporting reviews of innovation, fuels and low carbon vehicles. These have included explanations of the operation of innovation systems and identification of areas for policy intervention.
  • We are often called upon by government departments to provide evaluations of technologies or markets to assist in the design of specific policies
  • We have evaluated the impact of specific policies on companies or sectors, such as UK energy efficiency regulatons for a major energy supplier 
  • We have worked with the UK Carbon Trust and Department for Transport to create methodologies for the measurement of life cycle greenhouse gas emissions in products and transport fuels respectively
Some of E4tech’s recent projects in strategy & finance:
  • We have worked with industrial companies to identify market entry strategies in areas such as natural gas vehicles and waste to energy
  • We have assisted major energy companies to understand, for example, the global potential of biofuels (BP) and the prospects for hydrogen (Shell)
  • We have worked for the UK Department for Trade & Industry and Carbon Trust to create national sector strategies for hydrogen and fuel cells
  • We have worked with private equity investors as they decide how best to deploy capital in sectors such as bioenergy
  • We have supported innovators such as CMR Fuel Cells and bioenergy start-ups with business planning and finance raising. (Please note that we are not registered financial advisors).

We assisted the Carbon Trust in developing its growth strategy and have also looked at new areas for application of this strategy in areas such as bioenergy, hydrogen, advanced PV and marine energy.

 

Techno-economic analysis

E4tech has carried out a wide range of techno-economic and other analyses to assist our clients with business and strategy development, positioning and other issues. Our analysis is based on a sound understanding of technology, policy and business factors and the interplay between them. A selection of our studies is described below, with links to those that are public:

  • We have analysed some of the financial issues associated with hydrogen infrastructure development in Europe, to inform Linde
  • Our modelling of stationary bioenergy potential helped the World Wide Fund for Nature develop a Bioelectricity Vision
  • We have constructed global models of biomass resources for a major corporate client to aid in their understanding of possible biofuel supply chains.
  • Our assessment of indigenous resources for hydrogen and biofuels for the Department for Transport has supported policy development in the UK
  • An assessment of technology and supply chain issues related to biofuel provision in Brazil and Africa helped inform UK external policy engagement

 

 

Due Diligence related services

E4tech has conducted technical, market and business assessments of target companies as part of full due diligence processes, and similar assessments of major projects where government or multilateral funding is sought. These analyses have been conducted for investment banks, venture capital funds, governments and multilateral agencies, and we have written the ‘Competent Person’s Report’ for the successful AIM listings of fuel cell sector companies Protonex, Inc. and CMR Fuel Cells.

Fuel cells & Hydrogen

We believe we have unparalleled breadth and depth of knowledge in the area of fuel cells and hydrogen energy, having conducted detailed assessments on:

  • fuel cells (PEM, SOFC, MCFC, DMFC) and key components (e.g. membranes)
  • PEM and alkaline electrolyser technologies
  • novel hydrogen production technologies

David Hart also sits on the Investment Advisory Committee of Conduit Ventures Ltd., a fuel cell and hydrogen energy-focused VC. (Note that E4tech is independent from Conduit Ventures).

Bioenergy

We have broad and deep expertise for technical, market and business assessments in the bioenergy area. We have investigated a range of technologies, companies and projects in:

  • biofuels for transport
  • bioenergy for electricity and CHP
  • waste to energy

E4tech has strong relationships in the bioenergy area with a varied group of investors including venture capital funds, investment banks, hedge funds and private equity groups. We have also acted as advisors to government and multilateral organisations on technology innovation in bioenergy.

Objectivity

Our services are built on a solid foundation of technical and business understanding across the technology sectors in which we work, set in the wider energy context. For very specific cutting-edge technical knowledge we draw on a global network of experts with whom we collaborate on an associate basis. We do not advocate specific or generic technology areas, but provide objective analysis and advice.

Sectoral relevance

Each technology and each sector is in a different stage of development, and faces different market drivers and constraints. Although ‘fuel cell’ is a convenient high level classification, the individual technologies are actually as different as piston engines and gas turbines. The same is true of bioenergy technologies, which involve biological, chemical and thermal conversion processes.

Our services are based on an understanding of the different technologies, the range of applications they could be suited for over time, and the market and policy factors affecting their potential in a given sector. We also understand and take into account the complexities and subtleties of the supply and value chains related to the technologies and sectors considered.

Example projects

A selection of the publicly known target companies and clients for which we have provided assessment services is below:

AIM listings of Protonex and CMR Fuel Cells – E4tech provided the Competent Person’s reports for inclusion in the admission documents for each of the above, having conducted detailed technical and market assessments

Private investment in Pemeas – an investment was made in Pemeas (now acquired by BASF) following our full technical and market assessment

Private investment in P21 – we carried out a focused cost, supply chain and market analysis which enabled an investment to be made in P21.

In the bioenergy area, we have advised investors on projects and companies involving technologies such as gasification, pyrolysis, fermentation and anaerobic digestion.

 

Sample Clients