World Wide Fund for Nature South Africa (WWF-SA) on Tuesday launched the 2014-15 round of the organisation’s international Climate Solver Awards platform, providing an opportunity for small businesses to showcase innovative technologies that reduce carbon emissions and boost energy access.

Now in its second year in South Africa, the platform acknowledged the critical role clean technology businesses had to play in driving the transition from a high fossil-fuel economy to a clean, renewable-energy economy.

The awards were developed to raise awareness for these essential technologies and to communicate the value of innovation as an “immediate and practical” solution to climate change.

WWF-SA special projects manager Louise Scholtz said the fund’s Global Cleantech Innovation Index 2014 report had demonstrated that countries benefited from the widespread adoption of clean technologies.

“After the success of the awards last year, WWF-SA is calling for nominations for the next round of the challenge, inviting small and medium enterprises active in the climate innovation space to submit entries by January 30, 2015,” she outlined.

Entries should comprise innovative low-carbon technologies that reduced carbon emissions, as well as sustainable clean-energy solutions that enhanced energy access.

Companies entering must own the technology, have developed the product to post-pilot stage and have clear business plans for developing and promoting the product.

The technology must be currently available to the market and be able to deliver carbon emissions reduction of about 20-million tons a year by 2022 or significantly contribute to improving energy access.

Following a rigorous adjudication process, up to four Climate Solvers would be selected and their technologies showcased at an award ceremony in April next year.

WWF-SA would also produce a short video of each of the selected technologies that would be featured on the South African and international WWF Climate Solver webpages, and which the enterprise could use for promotional purposes.

Last year’s South African winners were Agriprotein Technologies, which produced animal feed from fly larvae to replace fishmeal, SolarTurtle, an off-the-grid solution for rural communities, and Rhino Modified Wood, a high-density wood made from South African pine to replace imported hardwoods.