Tech Tuesday: Wicked Alternatives to Fossil Fuels and Music Piracy

This week's Tech Pioneer are solving wicked problem through providing innovative solutions. @Topellenergy creates biofuels that will create a new way for us to power our lives, and @spotify is giving Apple a run for it's money by giving users a legal option to enjoy and share music online.

Tech Tuesday is an on-going series profiling the Forum’s Technology Pioneers. The Tech Pioneers are companies that have been recognized by the Forum for ground-breaking and innovative approaches in tackling some of the world’s most wicked problems. Each week leading up to the Annual Meeting in Davos, we will be showcasing some of the 2011 Tech Pioneers. You can learn more about the Technology Pioneer Program on the Forum's website.

1.    Energy and Environment:  Alternative Fuel Sources

The Wicked Problem:

As our usage of fossil fuels continues to increase, limited supply is forcing us to consider alternative sources of fuel, such as biofeul.

The Tech Pioneer: Topell Energy

Location: The Hague, Netherlands
Number of employees: 20
Year Founded: 2007
Origins: Entrepreneurial start-up

The Wicked Solution: 

Topell Energy has developed a highly efficient method of making solid biofuel from woody biomass, a process known as torrefaction. Torrefaction of biomass cuts transportation costs and renders the conversion of biomass into power and heat more efficient. Torrefied biomass is an environmentally-friendly and practical alternative to fossil coal.

Topell’s torrefaction process is based on its Torbed reactor technology. The extreme turbulence inside the reactor results in a fast heat transfer between the process gas and the biomass particles, making the process highly efficient, yet easy to control. Topell’s process technology is flexible with respect to particle size of the incoming biomass, which keeps feedstock costs down. Torrefied biomass produced
in this manner is expected to compete with fossil fuels and coal in particular. It can be used directly in existing power plants, without altering current infrastructures.

Competitors have also developed systems for the torrefaction of biomass. Competing systems, however, require on average 30 minutes or more to torrefy a biomass particle. Topell achieves the same results in about 100 seconds. The shorter time translates into greater throughput,
lower costs and higher feedstock flexibility. The company has created a test facility to validate the process and is now building a large, commercial-scale plant in the Netherlands.

Topell has developed a breakthrough process and technology that promises to allow biomass to compete
with fossil fuels on price as well as product characteristics, without the need for expensive upgrades to existing power plant infrastructure.

2.    Information Technologies and New Media: An Alternative to Music Piracy

The Wicked Problem: 

Music piracy has been a continuous nightmare for artists, record labels and others in the music industry. While Apple's iTunes offers a solution, it forces consumers into  become locked into a hardware platform.

The Tech Pioneer: Spotify

Location: London, United Kingdom
Number of employees: 150
Year Founded: 2008
Origins: Entrepreneurial start-up

The Wicked Solution:

Spotify, founded by European serial entrepreneur Daniel Ek, is a digital music service that works across
multiple hardware platforms, offering music fans an alternative to the two other main options now available: Apple’s iTunes and piracy. It has rapidly grown from a small Swedish music service to an
international company with 7 million users across six European countries, generating more revenue for
rights holders than Apple iTunes in some territories.

The company has created a lightweight computer application that can legally and instantly stream music
from a catalogue of over 8 million tracks. Spotify not only allows users to easily access tracks either through its ad-supported or subscriber services, but it also lets them discover and share music with their friends.

In addition to the desktop application, Spotify has released apps for a number of mobile devices, including those based on the iPhone, Android and Symbian operating systems, allowing users to access the service on the move, including when they are out of mobile signal range. It has also integrated Facebook, allowing users to import their friends from the popular social networking site to discover and share music within Spotify.

Spotify has struck deals with several carriers in Europe to bundle its premium service with top-end phones to drive subscriptions. It soon plans to expand further into Europe and the US market.

Know an innovative start-up that’s solving a wicked problem? Nominate them.