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. Talent - IT Consulting and CSRD: EY now employs more than 4,000 people who are helping customers to implement the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and associated sustainability standards, according to EY Belgium.
2. Supplier Data: EcoVadis plans to offer a Coupa Connector in the Coupa App Marketplace. The connector synchronizes EcoVadis sustainability ratings and risk profile data with each supplier’s Coupa profile. The result: Customers can make purchasing decisions based on a supplier's sustainability risk, performance, and maturity.
3. Decarbonization Software: Future Group unveiled RealZero Check, a free, open-source tool designed to help investors and financial institutions set credible net zero targets and track decarbonization progress, Proactive Investors reported. The University of Technology Sydney's Institute for Sustainable Futures co-developed the tool.
4. Nuclear Power - Google Data Centers: Nuclear startup Kairos Power has received approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to start construction on two test reactors in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, TechCrunch reported. The permit marks a significant milestone for Kairos, which in October 2024 inked a deal with Google to provide 500 megawatts of electricity for its data centers, the report noted. Related Timeline: Will nuclear energy power AI data centers?
5. ESG Data Management: ACA Group has launched a new version of ACA Vantage for ESG, an ESG data management and risk monitoring solution.
6. Carbon Calculator: Business finance specialist Tide and API expert Connect Earth have unveiled a carbon calculator to assist small and midsize businesses in the UK with their sustainability efforts.
7. Power Management Solutions: Eaton has announced xStorage, a battery energy storage system (BESS) that can "accelerate decarbonization projects and maximize the impact of onsite renewables," the company said.
8. EV Charger Network: Duke Energy has commissioned its new Duke Energy + Electrada Fleet Mobility Microgrid in Mount Holly, North Carolina. The project offers a zero-emission, carbon-free microgrid option for fleet charging, Duke Energy said. The microgrid includes six fleet charging stations ranging from 120 to 300 kilowatts (kW) along with two Level 2 chargers, the firms said. Electrada, an electric fuel solutions company, provides all required capital "behind the meter" on behalf of fleet owners, that company said.
9. Layoffs - Renewable Energy: Equinor layoffs will impact 20% of the company's renewable energy employees, Reuters reported. Equinor, based in Norway, is best known for its oil and gas operations. Related List: All Layoffs Involving Sustainability.
10. Lawsuit: The New York Times says it spent 150 hours sifting through OpenAI’s training data looking for potential evidence—only for OpenAI to delete all of its work, The Times alleges, according to a Wired report. Related Timeline: All lawsuits involving Generative AI.
B. Sustainability M&A, Climate Tech Investments, Funding and Green IT Business Launches
1. Startup Incubator: The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN²) has selected three startups for its next cohort in the Emerging Tech Track. The startups are Blip Energy of Chicago, Illinois; Evercloak of Ontario, Canada; and Transaera of Somerville, Massachusetts. The incubator is funded by Wells Fargo and co-administered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Related List: Over 60 ClimateTech and Sustainable IT accelerators.
2. Investment - IT Services: Kintarra of Santa Clarita, California, has invested in ITSco of Durham, North Carolina, as part of a joint effort to expand IT services, IT asset disposition (ITAD) and sustainability capabilities. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
3. Asset Sale: Honeywell is selling its Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) business to Protective Industrial Products (PIP) for $1.325 billion. Private equity firm Odyssey Investment Partners owns PIP. Honeywell's overall business focus remains automation; the future of aviation; and the energy transition. The strategy involves a march toward $1 billion in sustainable technology revenues.
4. M&A - Renewable Energy: Altus Power has acquired a 3.4 MW solar project from Chaberton Energy, a Maryland-based national renewable energy project developer. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
5. 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 - Finance Debate: Countries are set to work through the night on an international climate finance strategy, Bloomberg reported, after an initial proposal sparked widespread anger. A draft plan proposed rich countries pay $250 billion per year to help poor countries battle climate change, Reuters noted. Related: All COP29 news.
2. United States: President Trump's pick for United States Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, wrote an ESG report that promoted oil and gas and downplayed climate concerns, Reuters reported.
3. Canada - CEO Priorities: Roughly 75% of Canadian CEOs expect it will take at least three years to see substantial returns on their ESG investments, a KPMG survey found.
4. United Kingdom: The UK’s grid operator will launch a service in late November 2024 that will allow homes and businesses to get paid for using less power during times when the grid is strained, Bloomberg reported.
D. Sustainable IT and Green Technology Conference Calendar
- Europe Supply Chain Decarbonization and Sustainability Summit (November 26-27, Frankfurt, Germany)
- London EV Show (November 26-28, London, United Kingdom)
- London Climate Tech Show 2024 (November 27-28, London, United Kingdom)
- European Sustainable Packaging Summit 2024 (November 28-29, Germany)
- AWS re:Invent 2024 (Las Vegas, Nevada, December 2-6)
- Complete Calendar of Sustainability Conferences
E. Previous Updates & Future News
- Future Updates: If you have news to share then please email me the details.
- Did You Miss Yesterday's Daily Update?: Here is our previous sustainable IT, climate tech and renewable energy news for technology partners.
