Here is today’s sustainable IT services and climate tech news, research and analysis -- written for technology partners, green IT service providers, CIOs, chief sustainability officers (CSOs) and climate accounting professionals.
A. Sustainable IT, Talent, Partnerships and Green Tech Alliances
1. Johnson Controls - CEO Search Continues: Johnson Controls, which is seeking a CEO to succeed George Oliver, is expected to announce 1Q 2025 financial results on February 5, 2025. We'll be watching to see if the company announces a new CEO as part of the earnings release. In the meantime, Johnson Controls has acquired Webeasy, a Dutch provider of building automation and control systems. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
2. CSRD Compliance Software Under Pressure?: Workiva stock fell 14%Â on January 22, 2025, amid reports that the French and German governments could push back against CSRD reporting requirements, SeekingAlpa reported. Workiva develops software that allows companies to automate CSRD and sustainability reporting. The company expects to report Q4 2024 financial results on February 25, 2025.
3. CSRD Compliance Tool: EcoVadis has added a Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) questionnaire to its risk and sustainability management solution suite. The new CSRD questionnaire is "free for suppliers, empowering customers to address this complex disclosure challenge," EcoVadis asserted.
4. CSRD Updates: Arthur Cox provides this guidance on recent CSRD compliance updates. The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), promoted by the European Union, calls on certain companies to track and disclose their carbon emissions, among other requirements. However, France and Germany are pushing back against CSRD, and there are signs that the EU may soften or delay some CSRD requirement deadlines.
5. Research - Generative AI Models and Carbon Emissions: Only 27% of organizations worldwide base their choice of a particular model on its energy consumption, Capgemini research found, according to Consultancy.EU. Instead, organizations mainly judge AI tools based on scalability, technical capabilities, and cost, Capgemini added.
6. Partnership - HVAC Energy Management Technology:  Encycle Technologies Inc. and Itron Inc. are partnering to promote smart energy products that allow commercial customers to reduce "HVAC energy load during peak demand periods, which will increase grid reliability and reduce grid stress," the two companies said.
7. Solar Farms - System Integrator: Ameresco Inc., a clean tech integrator specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy, is marching forward with solar projects on former landfill sites in North Ayrshire, Scotland. The Nethermains and Shewalton solar farms, developed in partnership with Detra Solar, represent a "significant milestone in North Ayrshire Council’s Sustainable North Ayrshire Strategy to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2030," Ameresco said.
8. Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) - Renewable Energy: United Power and Silicon Ranch have signed a power purchase agreement involving the 150 MW Byers Solar Farm, marking their fifth joint energy project since 2014, the two companies said.
B. Sustainability M&A, Climate Tech Investments, Funding and Green IT Business Launches
1. Funding - AI Data Center Infrastructure: OpenAI and SoftBank will commit $19 billion each to the Stargate Project, The Information reported. The Stargate Project, announced at a White House press conference hosted by President Donald Trump, is a new company that "intends to invest $500 billion over the next four years building new AI infrastructure for OpenAI in the United States." The project, unveiled by OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank, is expected to leverage renewable energy and sustainable IT services. But Elon Musk -- who runs an AI company that competes against OpenAI, claims The Stargate Project's overall funding claims don't add up.
2. Startup Funding - Energy Management Software: Edgecom Energy has raised $2.5 million in seed funding. Greensky Ventures led the round, with participation from ABB Electrification Ventures. EdgeCom develops AI Energy CoPilot -- which "allows customers to manage their energy consumption more efficiently," Greensky asserts.
3. Startup Funding - Energy Transition Analytics: Orennia has raised Series C funding from Decarbonization Partners (which is a joint partnership between BlackRock and Temasek) and various existing investors. The actual dollar figure was not disclosed. Orennia develops a platform that delivers "accurate data, predictive analytics and actionable insights across the energy transition," the company asserts.
4. Wind Down - Renewable Energy Asset Sale: Triple Point Energy Transition has sold its last remaining investments and wound down operations. The buyer, Dalmore Capital, acquired hydro-electric assets for GBP44.1 million.
5. M&A - Endpoint Management & E-Waste Reduction: Citrix, a business unit of Cloud Software Group has acquired Unicon GmbH. Unicon develops software that helps organizations repurpose existing devices, reduce hardware waste, and support green IT initiatives, Citrix said. Unicon's software manages roughly 2.5 million end devices in over 65 countries worldwide. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
6. M&A - Carbon Management Technology: LRQA, backed by Goldman Sachs since 2021, has acquired RESET Carbon, a provider of corporate and supply chain carbon management solutions. The seller was BayWa r.e. – a global renewable energy company. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
C. Regional and Global Sustainability Policies and News
1. United States - Bloomberg Funds Paris Agreement: Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's philanthropy arm will provide funding to help cover the U.S. contribution to the U.N. climate body's budget, filling a gap left by President Donald Trump, Reuters reported.
2. European Union - Solar Energy Trumps Coal: Solar power output overtook coal-fired stations in the European Union for the first time in 2024, Ember research said, according to Bloomberg.
3. Australia - Energy Transition Spending: Australia is injecting A$2 billion (US$1.3 billion) into the government-owned Clean Energy Finance Corp. in a bid to boost investment in the nation's energy transition, Bloomberg reported.
4. Asia Pacific - ESG Challenges: Roughly 25% of Asia/Pacific businesses cite ESG compliance as a top challenge, according to IDC research involving AI and ESG compliance.
D. Sustainable IT and Green Technology Conference Calendar
- Global Conference on Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Sustainability (GCEIS) 2025Â (January 24-26, Vancouver, Canada)
- Cleantech Forum North America 2025Â (January 27-29 in San Diego, California)
- Seminole Tribe of Florida Renewable Energy and Sustainability Conference 2025Â (January 27-29, Hollywood, Florida)
- Sustainability Forum Middle East 2025 (January 28-29, Kingdom of Bahrain)
- EV Charging Infrastructure Summit North America: East (January 28-29, Atlanta, Georgia)
- Complete Calendar of Sustainability Conferences
E. Previous Updates & Future News
Did You Miss Yesterday's Daily Update?: Here is our previous sustainable IT, climate tech and renewable energy news for technology partners.
Future Updates: If you have news to share then please email me the details.
