CLIMATE CHANGE AND SOLAR INDUSTRY RELATION AND REVELATIONS

In the last 130 years, fossil fuel extraction and consumption has led to increase of global temperature. Daily CO2 emission levels stand at 406.47 ppm (parts per million globally) and with population increasing (7.7 bn in 2018), pollution: which is causing climate change will surely show much severe results in the near future. Research shows that in 2018, CO2 emissions have increased by 2.7 % in 2018 as compared to 2017 YoY basis.

Spotlight

Sarcos Robotics

Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corporation designs, develops, and manufactures a broad range of advanced mobile robotic systems that redefine human possibilities and are designed to enable the safest, most productive workforce in the world. Sarcos robotic systems operate in challenging, unstructured, industrial environments and include teleoperated robotic systems, a powered robotic exoskeleton, and software solutions that enable task autonomy.

OTHER ARTICLES
Strategy and Best Practices, Energy

ClearVue Solar Glass Greenhouse Officially Opened

Article | July 27, 2022

A high-tech greenhouse comprised mainly of solar glass generating electricity to help run it was officially opened yesterday in Western Australia. ClearVue Technologies Limited’s solar glass involves a nanoparticle interlayer and spectral-selective coating on the rear external surface that enables 70% of natural light to pass through while redirecting infrared and UV light converted to infrared to the edge where it is harvested by solar cells. ClearVue says each 1m2 of its window product is currently rated to generate 30 watts-peak of electric power, but also mentions a new-generation product with the proven ability to generate 40 watts peak per m2 to be available sometime this year.

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Strategy and Best Practices, Industry Updates

5 Challenges in Renewable Energy in 2021

Article | August 16, 2022

Energy is an important feature in the economic and political development of a country. In developed nations like the USA, energy expansion has now reached a point where renewable energy sources also play a large part in the production of electricity. To meet the energy demands of the country, most production of renewable energy comes from fossil fuels and other non-renewable energy sources. Around 25% of the world’s energy is generated with renewable energy resources- mainly solar, wind, hydropower, and in some cases, geothermal. It is one of the fastest-growing electricity sources. Renewable energy is collected from resources that are abundantly available in the environment, like the sun or wind. There has been a growing interest in renewable energy production as fossil fuels are depleting. In most parts of the world, renewable energy has become a primary source of energy production. Renewable energy is preferred as they produce fewer greenhouse gases than non-RE sources. There are several other advantages to renewable sources like lower carbon emissions, reduced air pollution, and other socioeconomic benefits. However, unlike non-RE sources, there are challenges in renewable energy like economic, political and regulatory barriers, structural, social, and technical challenges which require advancement in technology, and a heavy investment with a proper understanding of obstacles it faces. Some obstacles are due to technology associated with renewable energy, whereas others are because of policies, marketplace, regulations, and infrastructure. Impact of Covid-19 The Covid-19 pandemic has brought the world to a grinding halt. It has severely impacted individuals and businesses alike, with many of the latter being closed down permanently. Similarly, the pandemic has also impacted the expansion of clean energy systems by forcefully curbing any investments. The technology and adoption of renewables have been making uneven but sure progress. The global pandemic has slowed down this development. According to International Energy Agency, the global share of electricity supply from renewables had reached 28% in 2020 from 26% in 2019, but the growth is expected to slow down further. The total energy supply is set to reduce by 13% from 2019. This substantial decline can be attributed to supply chain disruptions, lockdown, and emerging financial problems. Transport biofuel production and renewable heat consumption are projected to decline due to lower industrial activity. Governments have an opportunity to promote and accelerate the use of clean energy by incentivizing building, technology, and infrastructure across the country. This would be crucial to rebuilding the economy, create jobs, and build efficiency. Capital Costs and Investment The most obvious challenge of widespread adoption of renewables is cost, predominantly infrastructure costs like building and installing solar and wind power plants. Although it is quite cheap to operate and maintain solar and wind power plants, installation becomes more and more expensive. Over the last few years, even though the prices of installation of solar panels has fallen significantly, it remains higher than non-renewables. On average, a 2-kilowatt solar panel system costs $4,159 after tax credits, whereas the capital cost of a gas-fired power plant would cost lesser than that. In the last two years, investment in renewables has increased, but that is only because the investments in fossil fuels have been rapidly falling. Clean energy investments still fall short of what is necessary to convert into a more sustainable future. To ensure continuous investment in sustainable energy, policymakers have to focus on short investment turnaround, focus on rapid environmental gains favoring cleaner energy generation. Power on demand One of the most significant challenges of renewables is the ability to provide power on demand. In the case of solar power, you only get energy during the day and only when it is sunny. As for wind energy, power is generated only when it is windy. There is an intermittent generation of power in renewables which wouldn’t be a problem if there were appropriate energy storage solutions. The biggest test in providing power on demand is storage. Even if homes, businesses, or states install wind energy systems or solar panels, storing the generated energy is still an unsolved issue. Opponents of renewable energy highlight the reliability factor on solar and wind to augment support for coal, gas, and nuclear plants, which provide baseload power. This argument is used by lobbyists to drive out investment into renewables, thus becoming a barrier to widespread adoption of wind and solar energy. Location challenges Renewable energy plants have grids that require a large area of land. It can be unappealing to customers to switch to renewable energy sources as it is conditional depending on the size of the land. Not all states and regions are apt to build solar panels or have wind turbines as they are dependent on the geographical location. For example, building solar panels in California makes more sense than building them in New York as the former has an abundant supply of both sun and land. Renewables operates on what is known as a decentralized model. In a decentralized power plant, small generating stations are spread across a larger area that works collectively to deliver power. In the case of coal, nuclear power, or natural gas, they are highly centralized and depend on fewer high output power plants. Siting Decentralized systems prove to be a problem for siting and transmission of energy created by solar or wind. Siting is needed to move blades or solar panels to large pieces of land. To do so requires to draw up contracts, negotiate, acquire permits, or build community relations; all of this can delay or kill a renewable project even before it begins. Businesses can incur additional charges due to demand and delivery which seems like a significant challenge for them. Utility services apply these charges to recover costs of purchasing energy and maintaining power lines and energy lost in the transmission system. Moving power sources closer to your business will help you avoid such preventable expenses. Transmission The next challenge to overcome in renewables is the transmission of generated electricity. Transmission means the transfer of electricity from where it is generated to where it is consumed. Most transmitters that exist in this day and age are built for coal and other fossil fuels and not renewables. To make things easier for transmission of clean energy, there needs to be a significant infrastructure and technological development, which cost a lot of money. Making the economics work with financing and siting can prove costly for developers and customers alike. Policies and Regulations Unfortunately, the fossil fuel industry is backed by multi-billionaires who wield a considerable amount of political influence. This severely affects the chances of expansion for the renewable industry. Industry experts estimate that the USA spends upwards of $60 billion on subsidies for fossil fuels every year. The taxpayers have helped fund the industry’s research and development, drilling, mining, and generation of electricity. Renewables like wind and solar enjoy much lesser subsidies and political backing. The fossil fuel industry has used its enormous power to spread misinformation about climate change. To increase public interest and investment in renewables, there need to be clear and concise legal procedures and regulatory policies. Having proper regulations in place creates a stable environment for investment and overcome hurdles and can anticipate the revenue streams. Large-scale renewable energy projects require a large amount of capital which is hindered by the failure of proper policies that fail to attract private players. Frequently Asked Questions What is a major challenge with using more renewable energy? Renewable energy is competing with fossil fuels and nuclear technology. Other major challenges include underdeveloped infrastructure and lack of economies of scale. What are the benefits of using renewable energy? Some benefits of using renewable energy are lower energy costs, reduction of emissions, massive positive impact on environment, and marketing opportunities for businesses. Is renewable energy cheaper than fossil fuels? Fossil fuels are subsidized which makes it cheaper at the beginning. However, renewables get cheaper to maintain over the years hence making it cheaper than fossil fuels. What is the cheapest source of renewable energy? Solar PV and on site wind are the cheapest sources of renewable energy sources. { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [{ "@type": "Question", "name": "What is a major challenge with using more renewable energy?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Renewable energy is competing with fossil fuels and nuclear technology. Other major challenges include underdeveloped infrastructure and lack of economies of scale." } },{ "@type": "Question", "name": "What are the benefits of using renewable energy?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Some benefits of using renewable energy are lower energy costs, reduction of emissions, massive positive impact on environment, and marketing opportunities for businesses." } },{ "@type": "Question", "name": "Is renewable energy cheaper than fossil fuels?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Fossil fuels are subsidized which makes it cheaper at the beginning. However, renewables get cheaper to maintain over the years hence making it cheaper than fossil fuels." } }] }

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Energy

HOW TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOLAR ENERGY

Article | July 15, 2022

UTILIZING SOLAR ENERGY You want the world to be a better place for your children and your children’s children. So how do you go about making changes in order to ensure that it will be? There are only so many things you can do, but you know it would be a good start to change the way you use energy. There’s so much waste and, in reality, only so much energy to go around. You’ve heard that solar energy is the energy source of the future and you can get behind that. After all, the sun is bright and hot and always around. It’s not going to run out of energy anytime soon and it makes sense to use its energy to power things. But how do you take advantage of that? Here are a few ideas. START SMALL WITH SOLAR ENERGY You might want to test out how solar energy works by using it in small ways. First, get some solar powered landscape lights and other small items that can help you get used to how solar power works. You’ll see that those lights glow on a nightly basis from the sun’s power that they stored during the day and you’ll realize that solar power can work well in other areas. GO BIG WITH SOLAR PANELS You can also do your research and go all out with solar panels on your roof. They’re costly to install, but they cost a lot less now than they did in the past. Plus, they’ll pay you back over the years in energy savings. If you really want to make an impact and you have the money to do so, solar panels are a great way to take advantage of the solar energy beating down on your house. GET IN TOUCH WITH A CLEAN ENERGY PROVIDER If you go with solar panels yourself, more power to you (literally, in some ways!) but not every homeowner has the funds or inclination to go that route. If you want something easier, but you still want solar power, it’s best to contact a clean energy provider for help. Your clean energy provider will harness solar power for you (along with wind energy and other renewable sources) and add it to the grid. You can then use energy as needed and know that it comes from the sun and other clean sources. SOLAR ENERGY IS THE FUTURE With natural resources dwindling, it makes sense for more people to jump over to solar power. It definitely has enough power to go around and it doesn’t cause harmful gases and pollution to be released into the atmosphere. You may as well jump on board early with Star Energy Partners. You’ll not only have peace of mind about where your energy comes from, but you’ll also pay a fixed rate, which is lower than what your bills are now. We can even call your current company for you and get you switched over with ease.

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Solar+Storage, Strategy and Best Practices

Slashing Greenhouse Gas Emissions: A Business Perspective!

Article | September 17, 2022

“With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility” – Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet) We, humans, had completely buried this quote until it was brought back to life recently. Business leaders should remember this quote as it perfectly fits into the environmental-business perspective that we are presently facing. If the world has to tackle the problem of climate change or come even close to achieving that goal, businesses and industries will have to play a key role. Almost a quarter, or 23% to be precise, of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, come directly from industries. This number rises to 29.6% if we combine indirect emissions too. When looking for causes of climate change, the private sector is often linked to. Minimizing your carbon footprint appears to be the year's buzzword, but where can businesses begin with such an ambiguous task? How do we assess progress? Peter Drucker wrote the premise of an answer back in 1954: "What gets measured, gets managed." If a business really wants to become more sustainable, the first step should be to try to understand its current situation and begin tracking its carbon emissions. Measuring carbon emissions is a difficult problem. Major businesses that do not have carbon monitoring and reduction programs have become the exception. Recognizing and measuring CO2 emissions aids in the identification of excessive energy consumption and other inefficiencies. Most of the time, lowering greenhouse gas emissions goes hand in hand with making a business's processes more efficient and cost-effective. Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions: What Do Businesses Gain? In addition to the long-term environmental benefits that will help us in saving our planet, organizations can also benefit from the positive impacts of greenhouse gas emission reduction. Some of the top benefits of effective emission management are as follows. Cost Saving When it comes to cost reductions, simply minimizing your energy consumption reduces both your organization's carbon footprint and its operating expenses. According to a 2016 Energy Star report, the owner of Kimberly-Clark Berkley Mill invested $350,000, which generated yearly savings of $160,000 and a rapid return on investment (ROI) of just over one and a half years when LED lighting was installed to replace the fluorescent and HID lighting that was traditionally used. Regulatory Compliance With a 20-fold rise in global climate change regulations since 1997, securing proactive regulatory compliance is much more important than ever in the minds of corporate leadership, public spheres, and stakeholders – and it's only becoming more important. Adopting an effective greenhouse gas emission reduction program, as well as tracking and reporting on progress, is essential for businesses to adopt in order to maintain operations and avoid penalties. Improved External Relations Consumer spending power has an enormous impact on the process of shaping organizational action. In the eyes of the public, the process of committing to responsibility in the domains of broader sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions reduction is a significant credibility boost. When your company takes proactive steps to reduce carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions, the resulting increase in the quality and depth of relationships with potential partners and external business connections is priceless. Enhanced Stakeholder Relationships Along with a stronger relationship with the audience, the influence of transparent sustainability indicators and performance has the potential to strengthen crucial relationships with stakeholders. More investors than ever are shifting capital away from carbon-heavy, secretive businesses and toward companies that have decided to be open, proactive, and honest regarding their greenhouse gas emissions management within the sustainability world and beyond. Emission Sources Defined in Business Operations Within a business's operation chain, emission sources are classified into three categories. These scopes are established so that businesses can trace the source of their greenhouse gas emissions and modify their operations to minimize their carbon footprint. Emission scope is defined as follows: Scope 1 Emission Scope 1 emissions are directly caused by business operations. Organizations with fossil fuel-burning vehicle fleets, for example, are directly liable for carbon emissions by burning those fossil fuels. Scope 2 Emission Scope 2 emissions are caused by an organization purchasing energy (e.g., electricity, heat, or air conditioning) produced by a process that emits greenhouse gases. A scope 2 emission is, for example, electricity generated by burning coal that a business later purchases. Because the company consumes this energy, they must record the emissions generated when it was generated. Scope 3 Emissions Scope 3 emissions are not caused by a company's direct activities. Other entities in a company's value chain are responsible for these emissions. Scope 3 emissions for one organization could be scope 1 and 2 emissions for another. A company that manufactures products, for example, would have scope 3 emissions from a company that eventually disposes of those items. Scope 3 is responsible for most of a company's emissions, accounting for 65% to 95% of a company's carbon footprint. Currently, reporting scope 3 emissions is optional for businesses. Organizations must, however, start tracking their scope 3 emissions since this is where tremendous reductions in carbon emissions can occur. How Are Large Enterprises Measuring and Reducing Their Carbon Footprints? Larger enterprises, like Apple and ExxonMobil, have begun to provide scope 3 emissions data. Other companies are collaborating with their supply chain to build collaborative initiatives among companies to report these emissions. Businesses have begun to cooperate even outside of supply chains. Competitors in the same industry have started to form partnerships to solve the issue of measuring their carbon footprints. Because these organizations often share manufacturers and suppliers, they have decided to deal with the issue together. Other businesses manage environmental sustainability in a different manner.Enterprises in the agriculture industry have pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, recycle, and provide resources and information to smaller agricultural organizations wanting to go green.Many of the world’s leading auto manufacturers help by producing vehicles that are more environmentally friendly and have the better fuel economy. Others are creating alternative-fuel cars or investing in sustainable energy projects. The major retailers, manufacturers, and software companies have all made efforts to reduce their carbon footprint in different ways. Many multinational enterprises are adopting more sustainable business practices, such as using renewable energy and recycled materials in product manufacturing. How Can Small Businesses Seek Help Measuring Their Carbon Footprints? For the time being, many small businesses are finding it difficult to gather data on all these emissions that are beyond their control. According to the BBC, only 10% of more than 1,000 organizations surveyed in the United Kingdom keep track of their carbon footprint. Moreover, one in every five companies does not understand what the term "net-zero" means and a third really hasn't sought any help to make their company more sustainable. Exploring available information on measuring emissions data is the best approach for small businesses to understand more about the ways they can reduce their carbon footprint. The EPA Center for Corporate Climate Leadership includes a wealth of resources to assist small business owners in measuring and reporting their emissions. Business owners can learn how to establish a greenhouse gas inventory, measure their emissions, collaborate with sustainable suppliers, and gather data to develop sustainable solutions. Small businesses can also utilize a carbon footprint calculator to determine the quantity of emissions generated by their activities. Once company owners realize how much carbon they are emitting, they can start to tackle where it is coming from and make the necessary modifications. The most important thing that business owners can do is to always look for ways to improve their business's sustainability. Additional information will be made available to help company owners as they seek guidance on how to minimize their carbon footprint. Best Practices for Companies to Achieve Net Zero and Stay Profitable Transitioning to net zero is such a demanding task that many businesses believe it is impossible to do while retaining profit margins. As a result, many businesses concentrate on low-hanging fruit and short-term alternatives, like offloading emissions onto others by divesting from high-carbon-emitting companies. Businesses, on the other hand, can start by creating a greenhouse gas inventory to monitor their carbon emissions. Here are just a few of the many ways we found that could help your business. Cut Emissions Across the Whole Value Chain For most businesses, the majority of emissions and the possibilities for climate action lie in "scope 3 assets". These aren't owned or managed by the reporting company, but they add to the business's value chain indirectly. Businesses must take action on scope 3 emissions in order to successfully cut emissions. Use Sustainable Web Hosting Services Hosting services are the silent consumers of fossil fuels. Until you host it yourself, your website is most certainly hosted on a data server in a warehouse that runs on fossil fuels. Data servers use a lot of energy since they have to be turned on and kept cool all the time. Renewable Energy Certificates are acquired by sustainable hosting providers in order to claim their renewable energy utilization. Tackle the Root Causes The areas of major emissions are often not the most effective sites for action. It is found that businesses are measuring emissions in order to determine underlying causes, either inside their own processes or anywhere in the value chain. Big tech businesses evaluate power efficiency down to the code level in their AI and cloud implementations and collaborate with chip manufacturers to reduce energy usage in the use of their products. Don’t Automatically Defund High-Carbon Business Investors are often enticed to enhance their portfolio of low-carbon activities merely by rearranging their capital allocation. However, when it comes to really incentivize reduction, a more effective technique is to engage in activities that presently generate high carbon emissions while giving out a clear and urgent roadmap to change. Some activists have realized this idea and are shifting their demands from divestment to a managed shift of high-carbon businesses. Purchase Carbon Offsets Carbon offsets are a type of trade. When you buy an offset, you are contributing to projects that decrease greenhouse gas emissions. A carbon calculator can help you calculate your travel carbon footprint and the monetary cost of those emissions. Remember that carbon offsets do not decrease the quantity of carbon in the atmosphere; rather, they serve as a balancing agent to neutralize the carbon emitted. Carbon offsets could be tax-deductible based on the company from whom you purchase them. Closing Lines Many prominent brands, from Amazon to L'Oréal, have started to make significant investments in renewable energy and commitments to reduce emissions in their freight and logistics operations. Being mindful of how your activities contribute to greenhouse gas emissions can assist you in minimizing your carbon footprint. With the above-mentioned methods under your belt, you will be able to support the environment that we live in a while simultaneously pushing your organization to the next level of success. Don't miss the opportunity to get involved in energy-efficiency and sustainability initiatives for your company because the newest generation of consumers, millennials, have $2.45 trillion in spending power and are eager to spend more on brands that share their values of going green. Frequently Asked Questions What are scope 3 emissions? The Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Standard divides a company's greenhouse gas emissions into three "scopes." Scope 1 emissions are those emitted directly from owned or controlled sources. Scope 2 emissions are those caused by the production of bought energy. Scope 3 emissions encompass all indirect emissions (not included in scope 2) that happen in the reporting company's value chain, both in upstream and downstream emissions. What are product life cycle emissions? All emissions related to the production and utilize a single product, from the cradle to the grave, are referred to as the product life cycle emissions and include emissions from raw materials, manufacturing, transportation, storage, sale, usage, and disposal. How can industries reduce global warming? By implementing passive or sustainable energy-based heating and cooling systems, increasing energy efficiency, and solving other important concerns such as methane leaks, the industry can cut its emissions by 7.3 Gt per year. New food production technologies have the capability to cut emissions by 6.7 Gt per year

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Spotlight

Sarcos Robotics

Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corporation designs, develops, and manufactures a broad range of advanced mobile robotic systems that redefine human possibilities and are designed to enable the safest, most productive workforce in the world. Sarcos robotic systems operate in challenging, unstructured, industrial environments and include teleoperated robotic systems, a powered robotic exoskeleton, and software solutions that enable task autonomy.

Related News

Solar+Storage

Bidgely and GridX Partner to Optimize Electricity Costs for a Clean Energy Future

businesswire | August 02, 2023

Bidgely, the leading provider of AI-powered energy intelligence solutions, and GridX, the leading enterprise rate platform provider to modern utilities, have announced a partnership to deliver enhanced energy cost accuracy and control for utilities and their customers. By combining behind-the-meter consumption insights with highly accurate cost insights, utilities can implement grid management initiatives, such as cost-based load shifting and time-varying rates, that keep energy reliable and affordable for consumers. "Motivating consumers to make smarter energy decisions is paramount to achieving utility decarbonization goals,” said Chris Black, CEO of GridX. “Through our partnership with Bidgely, we are further reducing the mystery of how a consumer's energy choices correspond to their energy bills or grid impact. This results in a win for everyone. Customers get lower bills, utilities get more life out of their existing infrastructure, and customers and utilities are in sync in achieving their decarbonization goals.” Bidgely’s UtilityAI™ Platform, which provides hour-by-hour energy insights into customers’ usage patterns at the appliance level, combined with GridX’s industry-leading rate engine enables utilities to execute demand-side management strategies critical for supporting decarbonization and electrification goals. This integration enables utilities to: Improve rate analytics for tailoring new and existing plans to customer needs and utility objectives. Give customers rate comparisons that project the detailed impact to their bill across different rate options. Personalize cost simulations that inform customers on how potential changes impact future bills, for example: EV purchases, HVAC upgrades, solar PV and Time-of-Use enrollment. Deliver accurate appliance-level cost breakdowns across the bill cycle and hourly levels. Unlocking behind-the-meter cost savings opportunities also bolsters satisfaction and trust among utility customers. Through highly precise bill projections, rate comparisons and energy efficiency recommendations, consumers can understand how their individual usage affects bill statements and better control their energy costs. “Restructuring rate plans for better load shifting has become an imperative utility initiative, especially as electric vehicles, appliance electrification and weather-related grid strains become more prolific. By partnering with GridX, we are teaching consumers that when they use energy is as important as how much energy is used, and we are giving every kilowatt-hour consumed a dollar value to help drive simple and actionable behavioral changes,” said Abhay Gupta, CEO of Bidgely. About Bidgely Bidgely is an AI-powered SaaS Company accelerating a clean energy future by enabling energy companies and consumers to make data-driven energy-related decisions. Powered by our unique patented technology, Bidgely's UtilityAI™ Platform transforms multiple dimensions of customer data - such as energy consumption, demographic, and interactions - into deeply accurate and actionable consumer energy insights. We leverage these insights to empower each customer with personalized recommendations, tailored to their individual personality and lifestyle, usage attributes, behavioral patterns, purchase propensity, and beyond. From a Distributed Energy Resources (DER) and Grid Edge perspective, Bidgely is advancing smart meter innovation with data-driven solutions for solar PVs, EV detection, EV behavioral load shifting and managed charging, energy theft, short-term load forecasting, grid analytics, and TOU rate designs. Bidgely’s UtilityAI™ energy analytics provides deep visibility into generation, consumption for better peak load shaping and grid planning, and delivers targeted recommendations for new value-added products and services. With roots in Silicon Valley, Bidgely has over 17 energy patents, $75M+ in funding, retains 30+ data scientists, and brings a passion for AI to utilities serving residential and commercial customers around the world. About GridX, Inc GridX partners with utilities and energy suppliers to transform their businesses and accelerate the clean energy transition. The company’s Enterprise Rate Platform helps these organizations to develop new products and business models to achieve their clean energy goals; quickly operationalize new offerings in their billing and settlement processes; and better engage with their customers for broader program adoption. GridX’s platform is used by leading utilities, retail energy suppliers and energy ecosystem OEMs to serve more than 25 million homes and businesses.

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Solar+Storage, Energy

Babcock & Wilcox Solar Energy, Inc. Awarded Community Solar Contracts Totaling $20 Million

Businesswire | August 01, 2023

Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, Inc. (B&W) (NYSE: BW) announced today that its subsidiary, Babcock & Wilcox Solar Energy, Inc., has been awarded contracts totaling more than $20 million by Summit Ridge Energy, LLC, for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of 25 megawatts of community solar energy projects in Illinois. B&W has successfully executed multiple projects for Summit Ridge Energy, including a $15 million community solar project announced in March 2023 and a $20 million project announced in 2022. “We value our strong, ongoing relationship with Summit Ridge Energy and are excited to develop more projects in the future as we look to grow and expand B&W’s presence in the community solar industry,” said Jimmy Morgan, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, B&W. “We appreciate the confidence Summit Ridge Energy has shown in B&W’s installation, site coordination and project management expertise and look forward to continuing to work together.” B&W will engineer, procure and construct the six photovoltaic solar projects, with completion scheduled for 2024. “As Summit Ridge Energy continues to expand our solar leadership in Illinois, we’re pleased to partner with B&W on another EPC contract,” said Raj Soi, Executive Vice President of Operations, Summit Ridge Energy. “We are proud of our work to create new jobs in Illinois, invest in the local economy and provide solar power savings to more than 20,000 households and businesses.” With more than 100 solar projects installed, B&W offers reliable system design, construction and optimized system integration. B&W is committed to providing forward-thinking solar solutions, outstanding service, and quality construction with safety as a top priority. Summit Ridge Energy is the largest commercial solar developer and owner-operator in Illinois, with an energy portfolio of more than 250 megawatts across the state. Summit Ridge Energy has invested over $900 million in Illinois through the development and acquisition of 116 individual solar farms, located across 35 counties. These projects have employed more than 3,500 construction workers and provide solar power savings to more than 20,000 Illinois ratepayers. About Babcock & Wilcox Headquartered in Akron, Ohio, Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, Inc. is a leader in energy and environmental products and services for power and industrial markets worldwide. About Summit Ridge Energy Launched in 2017, Summit Ridge Energy is the nation’s leading commercial solar company. Through its strategic partnerships and project financing expertise, the company develops and acquires pre-operational projects within the rapidly growing solar energy and battery storage sectors. In the past six years, Summit Ridge Energy has deployed over $1.6B USD into clean energy assets. With a development pipeline of more than 2 GW, Summit Ridge Energy will have more than 400 MW of PV online by the end of 2023, providing solar power to 50,000 homes.

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Energy

Nexamp Named #1 Community Solar Company by Solar Power World Magazine

prnewswire | July 31, 2023

Nexamp, a leading clean energy solutions provider, has been awarded the prestigious title of "#1 Community Solar Company" by Solar Power World magazine. This recognition highlights Nexamp's foundational commitment to advancing renewable energy accessibility, environmental stewardship, and community empowerment. Since its inception, Nexamp has set out to transform the way individuals, businesses, and communities access and utilize solar energy. By developing innovative solar projects nationwide, the company has consistently broken barriers and created opportunities for a greener future. The company's extensive portfolio of community solar installations stands as a testament to its vision of a cleaner, more sustainable grid. The Solar Power World list is developed each year to honor the work of solar companies in the United States. Solar firms in the utility, community solar, and residential markets are ranked by the number of kilowatts they installed in the previous year. Companies are grouped and listed by specific services, markets, and states. "Earning the top spot on this list is an honor," said Zaid Ashai, CEO of Nexamp, "and as always, it shows our commitment to our mission. With an industry-leading community solar program and our growing suite of decarbonization services, we are proud of the way we continue to revolutionize the grid by developing, building, owning, and operating the solar and storage solutions of tomorrow." 2023 so far has been one of the busiest in Nexamp's history, surpassing the company's previous single-year record for megawatts of new projects turned on in just the first two quarters. Since its founding in 2007, Nexamp has installed more than a gigawatt of solar capacity. "Renewable energy accounts for a quarter of U.S. electrical generation, now far exceeding electricity produced by burning coal," said Kelsey Misbrener, managing editor of Solar Power World. "Solar power is an important member of that renewable makeup, and companies on the Top Solar Contractors List are all contributing to our country's shift to cleaner electricity. We are honored to recognize them each year for their necessary work putting green kilowatts on roofs, over parking lots, in desert locations, and across water reservoirs. Every project is making a difference." The United States reported its strongest first-quarter ever in Q1 2023 for solar installed, and industry analysts expect the solar market to triple in size over the next five years. The industry will continue to lead the way in rebuilding our infrastructure to ensure a cleaner grid. AboutNexamp Nexamp is leading the transformation to the new energy economy with proven solutions for the deployment and operation of solar energy assets. Our comprehensive capabilities span the entire solar project lifecycle – from project development, design and construction, through financing, operations, and maintenance. Our integrated, best-in-class solutions make solar energy simple and profitable for our clients and partners and make an impact every day. With a rapidly expanding network of property owners, businesses, communities, and residents benefitting from our growing portfolio of solar assets across the US, Nexamp is laying the groundwork for a cleaner, more secure energy future.

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Solar+Storage

Bidgely and GridX Partner to Optimize Electricity Costs for a Clean Energy Future

businesswire | August 02, 2023

Bidgely, the leading provider of AI-powered energy intelligence solutions, and GridX, the leading enterprise rate platform provider to modern utilities, have announced a partnership to deliver enhanced energy cost accuracy and control for utilities and their customers. By combining behind-the-meter consumption insights with highly accurate cost insights, utilities can implement grid management initiatives, such as cost-based load shifting and time-varying rates, that keep energy reliable and affordable for consumers. "Motivating consumers to make smarter energy decisions is paramount to achieving utility decarbonization goals,” said Chris Black, CEO of GridX. “Through our partnership with Bidgely, we are further reducing the mystery of how a consumer's energy choices correspond to their energy bills or grid impact. This results in a win for everyone. Customers get lower bills, utilities get more life out of their existing infrastructure, and customers and utilities are in sync in achieving their decarbonization goals.” Bidgely’s UtilityAI™ Platform, which provides hour-by-hour energy insights into customers’ usage patterns at the appliance level, combined with GridX’s industry-leading rate engine enables utilities to execute demand-side management strategies critical for supporting decarbonization and electrification goals. This integration enables utilities to: Improve rate analytics for tailoring new and existing plans to customer needs and utility objectives. Give customers rate comparisons that project the detailed impact to their bill across different rate options. Personalize cost simulations that inform customers on how potential changes impact future bills, for example: EV purchases, HVAC upgrades, solar PV and Time-of-Use enrollment. Deliver accurate appliance-level cost breakdowns across the bill cycle and hourly levels. Unlocking behind-the-meter cost savings opportunities also bolsters satisfaction and trust among utility customers. Through highly precise bill projections, rate comparisons and energy efficiency recommendations, consumers can understand how their individual usage affects bill statements and better control their energy costs. “Restructuring rate plans for better load shifting has become an imperative utility initiative, especially as electric vehicles, appliance electrification and weather-related grid strains become more prolific. By partnering with GridX, we are teaching consumers that when they use energy is as important as how much energy is used, and we are giving every kilowatt-hour consumed a dollar value to help drive simple and actionable behavioral changes,” said Abhay Gupta, CEO of Bidgely. About Bidgely Bidgely is an AI-powered SaaS Company accelerating a clean energy future by enabling energy companies and consumers to make data-driven energy-related decisions. Powered by our unique patented technology, Bidgely's UtilityAI™ Platform transforms multiple dimensions of customer data - such as energy consumption, demographic, and interactions - into deeply accurate and actionable consumer energy insights. We leverage these insights to empower each customer with personalized recommendations, tailored to their individual personality and lifestyle, usage attributes, behavioral patterns, purchase propensity, and beyond. From a Distributed Energy Resources (DER) and Grid Edge perspective, Bidgely is advancing smart meter innovation with data-driven solutions for solar PVs, EV detection, EV behavioral load shifting and managed charging, energy theft, short-term load forecasting, grid analytics, and TOU rate designs. Bidgely’s UtilityAI™ energy analytics provides deep visibility into generation, consumption for better peak load shaping and grid planning, and delivers targeted recommendations for new value-added products and services. With roots in Silicon Valley, Bidgely has over 17 energy patents, $75M+ in funding, retains 30+ data scientists, and brings a passion for AI to utilities serving residential and commercial customers around the world. About GridX, Inc GridX partners with utilities and energy suppliers to transform their businesses and accelerate the clean energy transition. The company’s Enterprise Rate Platform helps these organizations to develop new products and business models to achieve their clean energy goals; quickly operationalize new offerings in their billing and settlement processes; and better engage with their customers for broader program adoption. GridX’s platform is used by leading utilities, retail energy suppliers and energy ecosystem OEMs to serve more than 25 million homes and businesses.

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Solar+Storage, Energy

Babcock & Wilcox Solar Energy, Inc. Awarded Community Solar Contracts Totaling $20 Million

Businesswire | August 01, 2023

Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, Inc. (B&W) (NYSE: BW) announced today that its subsidiary, Babcock & Wilcox Solar Energy, Inc., has been awarded contracts totaling more than $20 million by Summit Ridge Energy, LLC, for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of 25 megawatts of community solar energy projects in Illinois. B&W has successfully executed multiple projects for Summit Ridge Energy, including a $15 million community solar project announced in March 2023 and a $20 million project announced in 2022. “We value our strong, ongoing relationship with Summit Ridge Energy and are excited to develop more projects in the future as we look to grow and expand B&W’s presence in the community solar industry,” said Jimmy Morgan, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, B&W. “We appreciate the confidence Summit Ridge Energy has shown in B&W’s installation, site coordination and project management expertise and look forward to continuing to work together.” B&W will engineer, procure and construct the six photovoltaic solar projects, with completion scheduled for 2024. “As Summit Ridge Energy continues to expand our solar leadership in Illinois, we’re pleased to partner with B&W on another EPC contract,” said Raj Soi, Executive Vice President of Operations, Summit Ridge Energy. “We are proud of our work to create new jobs in Illinois, invest in the local economy and provide solar power savings to more than 20,000 households and businesses.” With more than 100 solar projects installed, B&W offers reliable system design, construction and optimized system integration. B&W is committed to providing forward-thinking solar solutions, outstanding service, and quality construction with safety as a top priority. Summit Ridge Energy is the largest commercial solar developer and owner-operator in Illinois, with an energy portfolio of more than 250 megawatts across the state. Summit Ridge Energy has invested over $900 million in Illinois through the development and acquisition of 116 individual solar farms, located across 35 counties. These projects have employed more than 3,500 construction workers and provide solar power savings to more than 20,000 Illinois ratepayers. About Babcock & Wilcox Headquartered in Akron, Ohio, Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, Inc. is a leader in energy and environmental products and services for power and industrial markets worldwide. About Summit Ridge Energy Launched in 2017, Summit Ridge Energy is the nation’s leading commercial solar company. Through its strategic partnerships and project financing expertise, the company develops and acquires pre-operational projects within the rapidly growing solar energy and battery storage sectors. In the past six years, Summit Ridge Energy has deployed over $1.6B USD into clean energy assets. With a development pipeline of more than 2 GW, Summit Ridge Energy will have more than 400 MW of PV online by the end of 2023, providing solar power to 50,000 homes.

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Energy

Nexamp Named #1 Community Solar Company by Solar Power World Magazine

prnewswire | July 31, 2023

Nexamp, a leading clean energy solutions provider, has been awarded the prestigious title of "#1 Community Solar Company" by Solar Power World magazine. This recognition highlights Nexamp's foundational commitment to advancing renewable energy accessibility, environmental stewardship, and community empowerment. Since its inception, Nexamp has set out to transform the way individuals, businesses, and communities access and utilize solar energy. By developing innovative solar projects nationwide, the company has consistently broken barriers and created opportunities for a greener future. The company's extensive portfolio of community solar installations stands as a testament to its vision of a cleaner, more sustainable grid. The Solar Power World list is developed each year to honor the work of solar companies in the United States. Solar firms in the utility, community solar, and residential markets are ranked by the number of kilowatts they installed in the previous year. Companies are grouped and listed by specific services, markets, and states. "Earning the top spot on this list is an honor," said Zaid Ashai, CEO of Nexamp, "and as always, it shows our commitment to our mission. With an industry-leading community solar program and our growing suite of decarbonization services, we are proud of the way we continue to revolutionize the grid by developing, building, owning, and operating the solar and storage solutions of tomorrow." 2023 so far has been one of the busiest in Nexamp's history, surpassing the company's previous single-year record for megawatts of new projects turned on in just the first two quarters. Since its founding in 2007, Nexamp has installed more than a gigawatt of solar capacity. "Renewable energy accounts for a quarter of U.S. electrical generation, now far exceeding electricity produced by burning coal," said Kelsey Misbrener, managing editor of Solar Power World. "Solar power is an important member of that renewable makeup, and companies on the Top Solar Contractors List are all contributing to our country's shift to cleaner electricity. We are honored to recognize them each year for their necessary work putting green kilowatts on roofs, over parking lots, in desert locations, and across water reservoirs. Every project is making a difference." The United States reported its strongest first-quarter ever in Q1 2023 for solar installed, and industry analysts expect the solar market to triple in size over the next five years. The industry will continue to lead the way in rebuilding our infrastructure to ensure a cleaner grid. AboutNexamp Nexamp is leading the transformation to the new energy economy with proven solutions for the deployment and operation of solar energy assets. Our comprehensive capabilities span the entire solar project lifecycle – from project development, design and construction, through financing, operations, and maintenance. Our integrated, best-in-class solutions make solar energy simple and profitable for our clients and partners and make an impact every day. With a rapidly expanding network of property owners, businesses, communities, and residents benefitting from our growing portfolio of solar assets across the US, Nexamp is laying the groundwork for a cleaner, more secure energy future.

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