Powered by ACWA Power with strategic partnerships with Dii Desert Energy, CEA-INES (The French Solar Energy Institute), and the CleanTech Business Club, the WCSA2023 Awards judging panel included industry experts and leading CleanTech entrepreneurs. The WCSA2023 jury selected the finalists among a pool of 32 entries. The final hearing of the top 5 finalists took place during the first day of The Smarter E event in Munich, spotlighting the most innovative cleantech startups from around the world.

Thomas Korn, CEO of water stuff & sun GmbH, said, "This award is a significant milestone for us, and it will undoubtedly propel our efforts to reshape the storage, distribution, and utilization of renewables with green hydrogen. The support and recognition from the World CleanTech StartUPs Awards come at the right time, since we recently accomplished proof of concept of our core technology and opened our current investment round.”

The hydrogen battery garnered unanimous acclaim from the jury for its transformative potential in revolutionizing energy storage. Commenting on the importance of innovation in the cleantech industry, Paddy Padmanathan, the namesake of the Award, stated, "Innovation is the driving force behind positive change in the cleantech industry. It is through groundbreaking ideas like those presented by ‘water stuff & sun GmbH’ that we can shape a more sustainable future.”

Thomas Altmann, Executive Vice President – Innovation & New Technology at ACWA Power and Co-Chair of the Awards, highlighted why "water stuff & sun GmbH" was chosen as the winner, stating, "Their solution represents a significant advancement in hydrogen storage technology. By combining the power of SFEERS and the hydrogen battery, they have set a new standard in reshaping the storage, distribution, and utilization of renewables. As the leading developer, ACWA Power will recognize the winner and provide the opportunity to visit our offices in Dubai and meet our experts, supporting the next steps of idea development and innovation.”