Renewable Energy Startup DRIFT Energy Wins Sustainability Award
Posted by: electime 17th January 2025
- DRIFT Energy has won the 2025 Startups 100 Sustainability Award
- DRIFT Energy creates renewable energy from sailing vessels to help tackle climate change
- The company recently raised £4.65 million to further build out its sustainable sailing fleet
The Bath-based renewable energy startup DRIFT Energy, has been named winner of the Startups 100 Sustainability Award, which honours businesses that demonstrate innovative and impactful sustainability practices.
The revolutionary startup has also ranked 11th in the 2025 Startups 100 Index, the UK’s longest-running index of the most promising new businesses.
What is DRIFT Energy?
Founder: Ben Medland
Year founded: 2021
How DRIFT Energy stands out in the sustainability space
DRIFT Energy is revolutionising renewable energy by using a fleet of high-tech sailing vessels to produce renewable energy at sea, in this case green hydrogen, guided by a smart routing algorithm called ‘Goldilocks.’
With its mobile, low-footprint solution already backed by £4.65m in funding, and a mission to abate one gigatonne of CO₂ by 2050, DRIFT is setting sail to transform the global energy landscape.
Why is DRIFT Energy’s technology revolutionary?
Solar panels and wind farms are naturally dependent on weather conditions to produce renewable energy. This means they aren’t fully effective on their own, and only partially reduce fossil fuel reliance.
This is something founder Ben Medland set out to tackle with DRIFT Energy. Instead, Medland is harnessing the power of the ocean, by designing “true green” sailing catamarans that generate green hydrogen simply by sailing.
The shipping and maritime industry have a huge environmental impact and have found it hard to meet their net zero commitments. DRIFT, however, is offering a viable and cost-effective solution.
Editor of Startups.co.uk, Zohra Huda, comments: “DRIFT’s sailing fleet took the Startups 100 Sustainability Award by storm. We want to celebrate sustainability leaders that prioritise the health of the planet, as part of their company mission.
DRIFT does this in spades – harnessing ocean winds to produce green hydrogen – and makes waves in the maritime industry, which has struggled with net zero commitments.
“No surprises this Startups 100 superstar is also a COP 28 Award winner with its inspirational least invasive, lowest footprint renewable energy class that feeds the shipping sector’s energy transition. It’s full steam ahead for DRIFT in 2025.”
