Ex-GCV staffer wins Canary Wharf prize

Polysolar, a solar glass company with senior team including chief technology officer Joanna Slota-Newson, a former GCV data researcher (pictured speaking), has won a prize from Canary Wharf Group.

Polysolar and Voyage Control, a freight delivery logistics company, both won a £50000 pound prize, after taking part in Canary Wharf Group’s 12 week Cognicity Challenge.

Slota-Newson said: “We make architectural glazing which has thin film PV embedded in it, which is built into the fabric of the building envelope. It is a substitution for standard glazing.”

Eric Van der Kleij, head of Level39 and managing director of specialist innovation practise ENTIQ, who delivered the Cognicity Challenge for Canary Wharf Group, said: “I have never seen such a close competition. The calibre of all the participants and our winners, Polysolar and Voyage Control, is testament to the high level of talent amongst those working on innovative technologies in the smart city sector. By harnessing innovation and pushing for interoperability, the Cognicity Challenge is helping to transform Canary Wharf into a truly integrated and convenient smart city that is more functional, sustainable and ultimately a better environment to live, work and do business.”

Slota-Newson added: “They are facing really heavy carbon taxes for whatever they want to build. So it is critical to reduce their carbon footprint and producing renewable energy on-site is really valuable to them. As well as saving carbon tax, it generates energy, so they get feed-in tariff revenue subsidies from the glass.”

 She added: “We have been here 12 weeks and have been meeting up with executives in the Canary Wharf Group every week and they have been introducing us to the supply chain. They have been helping all of us develop solutions they can really use and they are learning how to work with small companies. We have had authentic engagement at all levels of the company. It hasn’t been a generic talk but really good engagement.”