11. Drift Energy: creating renewable energy from sailing ships

Sustainability Award Winner

In recognition of a sustainability leader that prioritises the health of the planet as part of its company mission.

Startups 100: Sustainability Award

Founder: Ben Medland
Year founded: 2021
Website: drift.energy

It all started one summer evening. While out for a walk with his son, Ben Medland strolled past a wind turbine. “Daddy, why is that wind turbine not moving?” asked Junior. As Medland explained that the turbine needed wind to rotate, a thought occurred: 

What if you could move renewable energy generation to follow the weather? 

That’s where the concept of DRIFT came from. The startup is creating the world’s first mobile renewable energy class. Rather than land-based solar panels or wind farms, it’s harnessing the ocean to supply green hydrogen (a clean energy source produced by the electrolysis of water) via a fleet of hi-tech sailing vessels. 

Sounds great, but the reaction when Medland first shared the idea was scepticism. Without a demonstrator, the industry couldn’t get behind DRIFT. Where was the proof?

In 12 weeks, Medland engineered a world-first, making green hydrogen from two foiling yachts. DRIFT debuted at a sailing event in Plymouth. It was a pinch-me moment for Medland and the maritime industry, which has struggled with Net Zero commitments.

By being able to produce and store gigawatts of green hydrogen, DRIFT could become the least invasive, lowest footprint renewable energy class that feeds the shipping sector’s energy transition. Its sustainability credentials are so inspiring that it was named COP 28 Award Winners, and we also made it our Startups 100 Sustainability Award winner for 2025.

DRIFT sails past alternative renewable energy sources for several reasons, but its chief benefit is movement. Rather than rely on the whim of the weather forecast, DRIFT has developed a unique vessel routing algorithm called ‘Goldilocks’.

Goldilocks can navigate the DRIFT boats away from weather conditions that are not too windy, or not windy enough, to drop anchor where it’s just right. Each vessel is also smart enough to return to port at the precise moment that its hydrogen tank is full. 

DRIFT had already taken the sailing sector (ah-hem) by storm, but last year it also received strong backing from the wider business world when it secured £4.65m in seed funding. It will use the money to build out its fleet of DRIFT ships and place flotillas in every ocean.

The ultimate objective, though, is to abate one gigatonnne of CO2 by 2050. One commentator at the Sail GP event said, “finally a renewable that doesn’t stand still and wait”. We’re predicting DRIFT will continue moving onwards and upwards in 2025.