Here is today’s sustainable IT services news, research and analysis -- written for technology partners, green IT service providers, CIOs, chief sustainability officers (CSOs) and climate accounting professionals.
A. Sustainable Technology, Talent, Partnerships and Green IT Alliances
1. IT Services: Global IT services provider Capgemini is touting the Open Footprint Data Model Standard to help customers build "trustworthy, well-structured sustainability data."
2. Global Methane Monitoring: SpaceX today is scheduled to launch Tanager-1, a methane-detecting satellite that's designed to hold super polluters accountable for their emissions, Bloomberg reported.
3. Renewable Energy: Silicon Ranch has activated the Scotford Solar Farm near Edmonton, Alberta in Canada. Key customers include Shell’s Energy and Chemicals Park. The solar farm can power approximately 20% of the refinery’s energy needs for the next 25 years and provide 100% of its electricity needs at peak capacity, Silicon Ranch said.
4. Partnership - Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (VPPA): Statkraft, Europe’s largest renewable energy, plans to purchase energy from Avangrid’s 35 MW Casselman wind farm in Pennsylvania. This is the second VPPA deal between the two companies within the past nine months.
B. Sustainability M&A, Investments, Funding and Green IT Business Launches
1. Investments - Carbon Removal Challenges: Investments in carbon-removal projects doubled in 2023, but most of the money is coming from Microsoft, according to The Wall Street Journal. Key names to know include Patch, CUR8 and CarbonX, the Journal noted.
2. Data Centers - Potential Asset Sale?: Brookfield Infrastructure Partners is weighing a minority stake sale in some of the assets of French data center operator Data4, Bloomberg reported. Brookfield is working with Citigroup on seeking investors for Data4’s so-called stabilized assets, which refer to fully-constructed data centers with high and stable tenancy rates, the report said. The potential valuation: Roughly €3.5 billion (US$3.8 billion), Bloomberg reported.
4. M&A - Environmental Engineering: Verdantas, backed by private equity firm Sterling Investment Partners, has acquired Cbec Eco Engineering, an environmental solutions company focused on water resources engineering and ecological restoration. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
5. M&A - Engineering and Building Decarbonization: Legence, backed by Blackstone, has acquired AMA Group, a New York City-based national engineering services firm. Among the key focus areas for the deal: Driving building decarbonization. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
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. United States - Solar Import Policies: A group of U.S. solar panel makers asked the Commerce Department to consider imposing duties retroactively on Vietnam and Thailand due to a surge in imports, Reuters reported, as those countries face probes for alleged unfair practices in the multi-billion-dollar trade.
2. United States vs China - Climate Tech Funding: The United States leapfrogged China as the world’s top market for climate-tech financing in 2024's first half -- even as the amount invested fell, according to BloombergNEF.
D. Sustainability and Green Technology Conference Calendar
- World ESG Summit Dubai (August 20-21, Dubai, UAE)
- Tennessee Sustainability Conference 2024Â (Gatlinburg, Tennessee, August 20-23)
- VMware Explore 2024Â (August 26-29, Las Vegas, Nevada)
- Amsterdam Immersive Impact Trip and Masterclass 2024Â (September 5-6)
- LG Energy Summit 2024Â (September 5-6, Brussels, Belgium)
- 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.
