Here is today’s sustainability news, research and analysis for technology partners; renewable energy and green IT service providers; management consultants; CIOs; chief sustainability officers (CSOs) and c-suite members.
A. Sustainable Technology, Talent, Partnerships and Green IT Alliances
1. Managed IT Services: Logicalis has updated its Digital Fabric Platform -- which allows CIOs to understand their IT infrastructure's performance and associated carbon footprint. The latest updates span user interface (UI) enhancements; overall health scores for network, cloud, security and workplace services; deeper insights on the health of a customer's digital ecosystem; and a knowledge base to help customers various platform metrics. Related Podcast: Logicalis CTO Toby Alcock discusses managed sustainability services.
2. HPE Channel Outlook: In a blog, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Channel Chief Simon Ewington shared his partner outlook for 2024. Among the areas to watch: The HPE Sustainability Insight Center and associated sustainability services to help customers reduce their IT carbon footprints. Ewington's blog surfaced shortly before HPE disclosed plans to acquire Juniper Networks for $14 billion.
3. Partnership - IT and Financial Services: NTT DATA UK&I and Armstrong Wolfe have inked a strategic partnership to "drive innovation in the financial services industry." The relationship will focus on Operational Resilience, Non-Financial Risk, Emerging Risk Assessment and Horizon Scanning.
4. Google Cloud Partners: Earth Blox, an application that allows customers to assess their climate and natural-related risks, is now available in the Google Cloud Marketplace. Separately, NoviqTech has achieved the Google Cloud Ready — Sustainability Partner Designation in the Google Cloud Partner Advantage Program.
5. Consulting: Supply Chain Companions, based in the Netherlands, has launched to assist customers with their supply chain strategies.
6. Research - Energy as a Service Market Growth Forecast: The global Energy As A Service market is expected to reach $112.05 billion by 2030, which represents a 9.1% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2023, according to SkyQuest research. Multiple factors will drive the market growth, including:
- Increasing adoption of distributed energy resources (DERs) like solar and energy storage;
- the rise of microgrids and grid-edge technologies for localized energy generation and consumption; and
- the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning for predictive energy analytics.
7. Software and Compliance - EU CSRD Directive: Locus Technologies has updated its ESG application software to support requirements of the new European Union Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (EU CSRD).
8. Carbon Credits - Agriculture: Truterra has unveiled its 2024 sustainability programs for farmers. The effort includes programs for carbon credits, USDA financial assistance, nitrogen management, and the Cedar River regional conservation partnership.
B. Sustainability M&A, Investments, Funding and Green IT Business Launches
1. Green Tax Fraud: Jack Fisher -- a real estate developer who promoted green tax breaks -- was sentenced to 25 years in prison for selling $1.4 billion in fraudulent charitable deductions to wealthy investors and cheating the IRS out of $458 million in taxes, Bloomberg reported.
2. Equity Investment - Data Centers: Vantage Data Centers announced a $6.4 billion equity investment led by DigitalBridge and Silver Lake. The investment, across North America and EMEA, is incremental to the recently announced €1.5 billion to be invested by AustralianSuper in Vantage EMEA and includes expected investment from DigitalBridge and Silver Lake co-investors, the companies said. Vantage owns or controls 25 sites in North America and EMEA totaling more than three gigawatts of expected capacity. The build-out will leverage "energy-efficient and sustainable designs purpose-built for AI and large-scale cloud deployments," the company said.
3. Funding - Germany Data Centers: Data Castle, a strategic alliance between German data center developer DCD Data Center Developers and global US investment manager Angelo Gordon for Germany, plan to build two data centers near Frankfurt and in Berlin, the organizers said. Angelo Gordon is committing approximately half a billion euros to fund the initial two project developments, Data Castle said.
4. M&A - Sustainable Power: Pacolet Milliken, a sustainability-focused, family-owned investment firm, has acquired Piedmont Green Power from Atlantic Power & Utilities. Piedmont operates a 55 MW biomass-fired power plant located in Barnesville, Georgia. Manulife financed the deal. Valuation terms were not disclosed.
5. M&A - Renewable Energy: Energy Capital Partners (ECP) has acquired Triple Oak Power from EnCap Energy Transition Fund I and its co-investors, Yorktown Partners and Mercuria Energy. Triple Oak develops and monetizes renewable energy projects to accelerate the U.S. transition to renewable energy. Financial Terms were not disclosed.
6. M&A - Electric Vehicle (EV) Energy Efficiency: Intel has acquired Silicon Mobility, which develops semiconductor hardware and software that improve electric vehicle (EV) energy efficiency. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
7. M&A - Geospatial Solutions: TRC Companies, an environmentally focused consulting and engineering firm, has acquired Locana -- a provider of geospatial technology and location intelligence. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
8. M&A - HVAC Integrator: Investcorp of Bahrain has acquired Best in Class Technology Services -- an 800-person HVAC integrator in Lenexa, Kansas, The Wall Street Journal reported. Though financial details weren’t disclosed, the deal had an enterprise value of around $300 million and generates annual revenue ranging from $160 million to $200 million, the Journal reported. Investcorp also invested in Shearer Supply of Dallas, Texas, in April 2023, the report noted.
9. Complete M&A List: Here's our database of all M&A deals involving sustainability, green IT and renewable energy buyers, sellers and investors.
C. Regional and Global Sustainability Policies and News
1. United States - Climate Disasters: The US endured a record number of 28 weather and climate disasters in 2023, each causing $1 billion or more in damage and collectively killing at least 492 people, Bloomberg reported.
2. United States - Annual Emissions: US greenhouse gas emissions declined 1.9% in 2023 compared to 2022, Bloomberg reported, the first time since before the Covid-19 pandemic that emissions went down while the nation’s economy grew, according to Rhodium Group.
3. Canada - Financial Services Lawsuits: Climate activist group Investors for Paris Compliance lodged a complaint urging securities regulators to investigate major Canadian banks on their climate-related claims and alleged misleading disclosures, Reuters reported.
4. United Kingdom - Energy Transition: Britain’s wind turbines grabbed their biggest slice of the electricity mix ever in December 2023, sending output from gas-fired plants to their lowest in almost four years, Bloomberg reported.
5. United States - Massive Wind Project: GE Vernova announced a new equipment and long-term services deal for the SunZia Wind project in New Mexico. It's expected to be the largest wind project in U.S. history, GE Vernova said.
D. Sustainability and Green Technology Conference Calendar
- CES 2024 (January 9-12, Las Vegas)
- European Chief Sustainability Awards (January 15, Davos)
- Intersolar North America and Energy Storage North America 2024 (January 17-19, San Diego, California)
- CleanTech Forum 2024 North America (January 22-24, San Diego, California)
- Recycling, Circular Design & Sustainable Sourcing for EV Batteries and Carbon Neutral Vehicles USA Conference 2024 (January 23-25, Detroit, Michigan)
- Complete Calendar of Sustainability Conferences
E. Previous Updates & Future News
- Did You Miss Yesterday's Daily Update?: Here is our previous sustainability, green IT and renewable energy news for technology partners.
- Future Updates: If you have news to share then please email me the details.
