Categories

The UK cleantech sector is developing apace and so the categories for the awards are also changing, to stay ahead of the technological developments and to recognise the areas where innovation is most valued. The inter-play of independent technologies and the broad relevance of new technologies to different subsectors makes it hard to provide clean boundaries between the categories in all cases. Nevertheless and importantly, there are categories for all aspects of clean technology and the innovation required to bring them to market.

They are divided into five main groups: Natural Energy, such as solar, wind, heat pumps and marine; Clean Energy, including hydrogen and fuel cells, bioenergy and powered transport; Processed Energy, including power generation, nuclear, fossil fuels and energy efficiency; Resources, including water, recycling, waste to energy and organic resource; Environment, covering air, land and water environments, noise, sustainable manufacturing, responsible products and services and environmental measurement.

The Rushlight Awards have the following categories:

1. Rushlight Solar Award

Awarded to the entrant who can demonstrate that they have made the most significant contribution towards harnessing the sun’s light or heat, thereby making solar a viable and effective energy source. Details

2. Rushlight Ground and Air Source Power Award

Awarded to the entrant who can demonstrate that they have made the most significant contribution towards the commercial exploitation of geothermal power, ground or air source heat pumps. Details

3. Rushlight Wind Power Award

Awarded to the most innovative wind power solution which enhances its attractiveness as a major natural energy source. Details

4. Rushlight Marine & Hydro Energy Award

Awarded to the most significant achievement in harnessing energy from a marine or inland waterway environment. Details

5. The winners of awards 1 to 4 will be shortlisted for the Rushlight Natural Energy Award. This category cannot be entered into directly, so applicants must enter at least one of the categories that feed into this. Details

6. Rushlight Bioenergy Award

Awarded to the most significant achievement towards the commercial and consumer exploitation of different types of biomass or other organic material as a source of power or fuel in a sustainable way. Details

7. Rushlight Powered Transport Award

Awarded to the most significant advancement that has resulted in the commercial development of forms of transport for land, sea or air which result in a significantly improved embedded environmental footprint. Details

8. Rushlight Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Award

Awarded to the most significant achievement towards the commercial development and exploitation of hydrogen or fuel cells. Details

9. The winners of awards 6 to 8 will be shortlisted for the Rushlight Clean Energy Award. This category cannot be entered into directly, so applicants must enter at least one of the categories that feed into this. Details

10. Rushlight Power Generation and Transmission Award

Awarded to the most significant engineering development that has improved the efficiency of energy conversion, transmission or management from fuel source to consumer in the electricity sector. Details

11. Rushlight Fossil Fuels Award

Awarded to the technological advancement or innovation that has made a significant contribution to the reduction in environmental impact of hydrocarbon usage for fuel or manufacturing. Details

12. Rushlight Nuclear Energy Award

Awarded to the technological advancement or innovation that has contributed most to the improvement in the environmental impact of nuclear power generation. Details

13. Rushlight Energy Reduction Award

Awarded to the technology or innovation that reduces the use of energy in a commercial or consumer setting. Details

14. Rushlight Energy Efficiency Award

Awarded to the technology or innovation that manages energy in such a way that less energy needs to be generated. Details

15. The winners of awards 10 to 14 will be shortlisted for the Rushlight Energy Environmental Award. This category cannot be entered into directly, so applicants must enter at least one of the categories that feed into this. Details

16. Rushlight Water Treatment Award

Awarded to the organisation that has made the most significant contribution through technology, innovation or process which facilitates or improves the treatment of water in the potable, non-potable or waste water context. Details

17. Rushlight Water Management Award

Awarded to the technology or innovation that reduces the use of water in a commercial or consumer setting, manages storm or flood water or controls water flow for the benefit of the environment. Details

18. Rushlight Resource Management Award

Awarded to the most environmentally effective resource collection, separation and handling arrangements for the whole resource cycle. Details

19. Rushlight Organic Resource Award

Awarded to the most significant development that has furthered the use or increased the effectiveness of composting, anaerobic digestion and other organic resource recycling solutions. Details

20. Rushlight Resource Recycling Award

Awarded to the most significant technological or innovative development in the field of recycling inorganic resource. Details

21. Rushlight Waste to Energy Award

Awarded to the most significant technological development or innovation that advances waste to energy as an environmentally effective way of managing waste and end-of-economic-life resources and generating energy. Details

22. The winners of awards 16 to 21 will be shortlisted for the Rushlight Resource Innovation Award. This category cannot be entered into directly, so applicants must enter at least one of the categories that feed into this. Details

23. Rushlight Clean Environment Award

Awarded to the most significant technological development or innovation that prevents, reduces or treats pollution or noise or other such contamination of land, water or air. Details

24. Rushlight Responsible Product or Service Award

Awarded to the product or service which has achieved the most impressive reduction in its impact on the environment through its use by the consumer. Details

25. Rushlight Sustainable Manufacturing & Services Award

Awarded to the product, service or process which has achieved the most impressive reduction in its impact on the environment either through its manufacturing process and provision or through the resources that it uses. Details

26. Rushlight Sustainable Agriculture, Forestry & Biodiversity Award

Awarded to the product, service, process, technique, activity or other innovation which has made or has the potential to make the most impressive impact on the environment in the fields of sustainable agriculture, forestry, biodiversity and other natural capital. Details

27. Rushlight Environmental Analysis & Metrology Award

Awarded to the most significant achievement in monitoring, assessing and accurately measuring the environment and the impact that society is having on it. Details

28. Rushlight Sustainability Initiative Award

Awarded to the most significant initiative, programme, project, product or process that has facilitated or advanced the adoption of clean energy and sustainable solutions across a community or in the marketplace. Details

29. The winners of awards 23 to 28 will be shortlisted for the Rushlight Environmental Management Award. This category cannot be entered into directly, so applicants must enter at least one of the categories that feed into this. Details

30. The Rushlight Award

Awarded to the overall winner for their substantial contribution to addressing environmental issues. Details