Eight energy startups tackling decarbonisation challenges have successfully graduated from the Net Zero Technology Centre’s (NZTC) TechX Accelerator, marking the eight cohort to graduate from one of Europe’s leading clean energy startup programmes.
Founders pitched their innovations to an audience of 100 industry leaders, investors and technology experts on Thursday at NZTC’s Innovation Hub in Aberdeen. While all startups on the programme benefit from £50,000 in funding each, it was Edinburgh-based startup, Orchid Solar, that won an equity-free cash prize of £25,000 from programme sponsors, ConocoPhillips, for demonstrating their technology had the strongest climate impact potential.
Orchid Solar is developing a modular solar technology that concentrates sunlight to generate up 1,000°C of heat for factories and industrial processes. The technology is built on patented research from the University of Oxford and has already been tested in India and Kenya. During the TechX process, the Orchid Solar team have worked with mentors to pivot their technology development plans and hired a new Senior Mechanical Engineer.
Parag Vyas, CEO and Co-founder of Orchid Solar who used to lead research teams at GE, Rolls-Royce and Aggreko before co-founding the startup said: “We are delighted to receive this award from TechX and ConocoPhillips. It will help accelerate our testing programme in Spain, building on the successful completion of trials in Edinburgh.
“Developing solar technology in Scotland may seem unconventional, but where there are clouds there are opportunities. The TechX programme has been instrumental in helping us accelerate development, refine our commercial strategy and strengthen our profile across the energy sector. This support brings us another step closer to delivering zero-carbon, high-temperature industrial heat at scale.”
The TechX Accelerator, which is supported by the UK and Scottish Government and industry partners, is now in its eighth year and supports early-stage companies developing high-impact solutions that cut emissions, reduce costs and improve energy security. The programme supports startups over 14 weeks providing funding, training, mentorship and events to help startups connect to industry and investors.
This year’s startups are focused on some of the energy sector’s toughest net zero challenges, including making floating offshore wind cheaper and faster to build, cutting emissions from high‑temperature industrial processes, producing geothermal power systems for remote locations and reducing the carbon footprint of critical components.
In 2026, TechX was named as one of Europe’s Leading Startup Hubs by the Financial Times and Statista and since 2017 has screened over 1,400 startup applications, supported 89 companies that have gone on to raise £208M, create 450 jobs and generate £45M in revenue.
Donald Naylor, CTO of Orchid Solar, who presented, and winning the prize with Renee Omsberg Rosener, Global Technology Manager for ConocoPhillips, and Parag Vyas, CEO of Orchid Solar.
NZTC CEO Myrtle Dawes said: “TechX is designed to compress years of learning into a few months and this cohort has risen to that challenge. These founders have worked incredibly hard to develop solutions that are ready to move into pilots, attract serious investment and help drive the transition to a clean energy economy.
"Orchid Solar is a strong example of what the programme is here to do: take a technology with real commercial potential and give it the connections, funding and industry insight to accelerate its path to market. That's how innovation becomes impact and it's what the next phase of the energy transition demands.”
Meet the 2026 TechX startup cohort:
- HexSeed Technology: Production of industrial diamonds using captured carbon dioxide to combat extreme heat in electronics such as data centres
- Hypanode: Fuel cell technology combining the power density of a jet engine with the efficiency of a battery.
- ISONIK: Ultrasonic ice prevention technology for wind turbines and critical infrastructure.
- MetaSenz: Light-based nanosensor technology for inherently safe hydrogen sensing.
- Micro Thermal Energy: Off-grid on-site modular compact geothermal baseload power system.
- Orchid Solar: Novel solar thermal concentrator delivering >500°C heat without fossil fuel usage.
- StrainWorks: Low-waste, low-energy manufacturing of ultra-lightweight bearings.
- Xmoor: Machine learning-driven floating offshore wind simulation and design optimisation platform.