About the client:
The client is a multinational renewable energy company. They were interested in learning more about environmentally friendly technologies for converting biomass into liquid fuels and chemicals. The client asked PreScouter to study efficiencies, costs, and maturity, as well as potential vendors for such technologies.
Challenge:
In this research support service (RSS) project, the goal was to assess technology providers of biomass conversion into fuels or chemicals and provide economical assessment studies. The client needed straightforward recommendations regarding what technology to implement, who to partner with, and what the profits might be.
Approach:
Over the course of 7 rounds of research (14 weeks), PreScouter:
- Scouted for technology providers, developed metrics, and prioritized technologies based on set metrics.
- Engaged with 4 subject matter experts to share their insights about the technologies, fill in information gaps, and give recommendations on the best companies to partner with.
- Conducted direct outreach to a selected number of companies to get non-publicly available information (costs, yields, certifications, etc.).
Outcome:
PreScouter identified 55 technology providers and shortlisted 17 for direct outreach. Selection was based on maturity, scale, and other performance indicators. This deep analysis was followed by economical assessments for all of the methods. As a result, PreScouter was able to identify the best technology pathway (most profitable, mature, and proven).
Impact of PreScouter’s work:
With PreScouter’s recommendations, the client was put in direct contact with the technology providers to start engaging in developing and commercializing the selected process.
A downloadable version of this case study is available here.
