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. Research - IT and AI for Sustainability: Roughly 88% of business leaders plan to increase investments in IT for sustainability over the next 12 months, IBM research found. Moreover, 90% of executives surveyed believe AI will positively influence sustainability goals — yet more than half of organizations aren't leveraging AI for sustainability, the IBM survey results revealed.
2. Honorees - IT Services and Networking: Cisco has named SPIE Switzerland as its Sustainability Partner of the Year for Switzerland.
3. Honorees - Customers and Suppliers: Union Pacific recognized nine customers and seven suppliers with the railroad's 2024 Sustainability Partner Award. Key technology-focused honorees include SAP and Schneider Electric, among others.
4. AI and Building Energy Management Software: Johnson Controls updated OpenBlue Enterprise Manager with more AI capabilities. The result: Customers gain proactive recommendations for potential energy savings.
5. AI and Energy Investments: Hitachi Energy has launched Nostradamus AI, a "modern AI engine that can generate forecasts estimated to be over 20% more accurate than some industry targets," the company said.
6. Cloud Services and Storage: Hitachi Vantara has updated Virtual Storage Platform One -- a data platform -- to "deliver simplicity, security, and sustainable scalability," the company asserts.
7. Partnership - Battery Energy Storage Systems: Prevalon Energy, a provider of energy storage solutions, has signed two new contracts with Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. The engagements involve Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) at the San Andrés and Salvador facilities in Chile’s Atacama region.
8. Distributed Energy Resource Management - Part One: Parsons has updated its DERMS solutions platform -- which supports solar panels, wind turbines, energy storage, electric batteries, thermostat controllers and building energy systems. The DERMS platform enhances grid reliability since utilities and grid operators can connect customers to renewable energy and legacy fuel supplies, the company said.
9. Distributed Energy Resource Management - Part Two: EnergyHub and FranklinWH Energy Storage are partnering to promote virtual power plant options in North America.
10. Financial Results - Renewable Energy: Altus Power announced stronger-than-expected financial results for Q3 of 2024.
B. Sustainability M&A, Climate Tech Investments, Funding and Green IT Business Launches
1. Investment - Data Centers: DTCP has agreed to invest in GreenScale, a sustainable data center platform designed for hyperscale, AI, and cloud customers. GreenScale's initial market is Ireland, with additional European expansion planned. DTCP intends to initially invest £$1 billion (US$1.28 billion) in GreenScale.
2. Funding - Energy Management Solutions Provider: Green Power Solutions has received a £175,000 (US$223,000) investment from the British Business Bank’s South West Investment Fund, according to Current.
3. Private Equity - ESG Reporting Standards: Seneca ESG has joined the ESG Data Convergence Initiative (EDCI). The goal: Deliver "consistent, comparable ESG metrics across private markets, making it easier for general partners (GPs) and portfolio companies to assess and benchmark ESG performance and offers more comparable portfolio information for Limited Partners (LPs)," the organizations said.
4. M&A - Compliance Services: Schellman Compliance, a provider of compliance services, has acquired sustainability reporting specialist Sustas of Idaho. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
5. M&A - Consulting: SLR Consulting has acquired Robertson GeoConsultants (RGC), a global consulting firm that specializes in mine water characterization, geochemistry and acid rock drainage/metal leaching, hydrology, hydrogeology and groundwater modelling for the mining industry, the buyer said. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Related: SLR Consulting company acquisition list.
6. Complete M&A List: Here's our database of all M&A deals involving green IT and renewable energy buyers, sellers and investors.
C. Regional and Global Sustainability Policies and News
1. COP29 - Financial Pledges: COP29 negotiators welcomed a pledge by major development banks to lift funding to poor and middle-income countries struggling with global warming, Reuters reported. A group of lenders, including the World Bank, announced a joint goal of increasing this finance to $120 billion by 2030, a roughly 60% increase on the amount in 2023, the report said.
2. United States - Paris Agreement: President-elect Donald Trump should keep the U.S. involved in global efforts to address climate change, Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods told CNBC.
3. United States - Nuclear Energy Investments: The United States will aim to deploy 200 GW of net new nuclear energy capacity by 2050, at least tripling current U.S. nuclear energy capacity, according to the Biden Administration.
D. Sustainable IT and Green Technology Conference Calendar
- COP29 (November 11-24, Baku, Azerbaijan)
- Resource Recycling Conference 2024Â (November 13-15, Louisville, Kentucky)
- Green Building Congress 2024Â (November 14-16, Bangalore, India)
- Microsoft Ignite 2024 (November 18-22, Chicago)
- Europe Supply Chain Decarbonization and Sustainability Summit (November 26-27, Frankfurt, Germany)
- 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.
