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. Talent - Microsoft Data Centers and Nuclear Power: Microsoft has hired Erin Henderson as director of nuclear development acceleration. The new role involves Microsoft's continued transition to sustainable energy. Henderson previously held key energy posts at the Tennessee Valley Authority and PSEG.
2. IT Assets - Depreciation Calculator: This worksheet calculator provides a general estimate for the depreciation of IT equipment and also two examples concerning the lease of IT equipment, IT AMG said.
3. Telecom Services: Huawei released 10 site power trends for telecom operators.
4. Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Standards: ChargePoint has become one of the first providers of EV charging solutions to receive Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) approval from the United States Federal Government.
5. Electric Vehicle (EV) Trucks: One Energy Enterprises, an industrial power company, is launching a new electric semi-truck trial program known as Just Roll. One Energy has added the Daimler eCascadia Class 8 Battery BEV to the test fleet, the company said.
B. Sustainability M&A, Investments, Funding and Green IT Business Launches
1. Lawsuit - ESG Investors: Exxon is suing two sustainable investment firms in a bid to block them from putting forward a shareholder proposal that would commit the oil company to further curb its greenhouse-gas emissions and target its customers’ emissions, The Wall Street Journal reported.
2. Loan Agreement Terms - Solar: SunPower has received an extension to a temporary waiver on its credit agreement with various lenders until January 31; the agreement had been set to expire on January 19, SeekingAlpha reported. The temporary waiver surfaced a few days after speculation about potential SunPower layoffs surfaced.
3. Potential Funding - AI Startups: Multiple updates...
- Cohere is seeking to raise between $500 million and $1 billion, Reuters reported, while Anthropic is seeking to raise $750 million, CNBC said.
- Two scientists at Google DeepMind, the Alphabet AI division, have been talking with investors about forming an AI startup in Paris, Bloomberg reported. Initial financing for the AI startup, called Holistic, could exceed €200 million, the report said.
- Elon Musk’s AI company, called xAI, has secured $500 million in commitments from investors toward a $1 billion goal, Bloomberg reported. Musk denied the report.
4. Funding - Decarbonization Startup: Dimensional Energy has raised $20 million in series A funding. Envisioning Partners led the round. Additional investors included United Airlines’ Sustainable Flight Fund, Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund, RockCreek Group’s Smart Aviation Futures fund, DSC Investment, Delek US, Empire State Development, Climate Tech Circle, and continuing support from existing investors New Climate Ventures, Elemental Excelerator, Chloe Capital, and Launch New York among others.
5. M&A - Environmental Services: Alliance Technical Group will acquire Chemtech Consulting Group of New Jersey and Air Source Testing Group of Civil & Environmental Consultants (CEC) of North Carolina and Tennessee. The buyer acquired seven environmental services companies in 2023.
6. M&A - Recycling: Municipal Equipment Inc. (MEI) of Louisville, Kentucky has acquired Link Environmental of Winamac, Indiana. Link Environmental is an equipment provider for the waste and recycling industry. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
7. 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 - Florida Electric Vehicles: Miami-Dade county school district will purchase 50 more electric vehicle (EV) buses fast chargers thanks to a nearly $20 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Tampa Bay Times reported. The school district already has 50 EV buses, the report noted.
2. United States - Chicago and Natural Gas: Chicago plans to consider an ordinance that would effectively ban natural gas in new buildings, the Chicago Tribune reported.
3. United States - EV Charger Deployments and Repairs: The U.S. Departments of Transportation and Energy will invest $325 million across three programs to advance EV technologies, repair chargers and cut battery costs, Reuters reported.
4. United States - Offshore Wind Farm Challenges: Multiple utilities are seeking to sell offshore wind farms because of cost challenges associated with the projects, The Wall Street Journal noted. Many of the offshore wind farm projects up for sale target electric power generation for homes across New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Virginia, the report noted.
5. United Kingdom - Carbon Capture Technology: The U.K. government plans to install carbon capture technology in the Drax power station, Forbes noted. Critics allege that the BECCS (bioenergy with carbon capture and storage) is an unproven and costly distraction that won’t help the country reach its climate goals, the report said.
6. United Kingdom - Google Data Center: Google will invest $1 billion to build a data center in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire. The new facility will be ready for off-site heat recovery, and will deploy an air-based cooling solution, Google said.
7. European Union - Emissions Reduction Goal: The European Commission is set to recommend the EU reduces its net greenhouse gas emissions 90% by 2040, from 1990 levels, to ensure the bloc can reach net zero emissions a decade later, Reuters reported.
D. Sustainability and Green Technology Conference Calendar
- 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)
- Sustainable Foods Summit 2024 (January 24-25, San Francisco, California)
- Green Investment and Sustainability Summit 2024 (January 30-31, Chennai, India)
- ARC Industry Leadership Forum 2024 (February 4-8, Orlando, Florida)
- 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.
