Microgrids

The commercial real estate sector is undergoing a fundamental transformation in how buildings interact with and manage energy resources. Grid-Interactive Buildings are emerging as a critical solution for property owners facing mounting pressures from rising energy costs, stringent regulatory requirements, and ambitious carbon reduction targets. Our new research identifies a robust ecosystem of 130 companies […]

Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) have been on the verge of disrupting the power sector for about a decade now, but continued development around the world suggests the technology should emerge as a core element of the global electricity landscape. “VPP technology alleviates electricity grid issues with solutions that include managing load shifting, renewable energy sources, […]

Last month, June 2024, the US Department of Energy (DOE) published the first ‘US National Definition of Zero Emissions Buildings’ to a tempered reaction from many in the buildings, energy, and environmental communities. After months of deliberation, the DOE’s somewhat simplistic definition reads: “A building is regarded as ‘zero emissions’ if it is highly energy […]

This Research Note looks at what’s behind Schneider Electric’s latest move to divest AutoGrid to Uplight, the Boulder, Colorado-based utility software company. We review the history and assess the current state of play behind the transaction. In December 2023, Uplight announced an agreement to acquire AutoGrid, a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) and Distributed Energy Resource […]

Dubbed the “First Space Station on Earth” —the NASA Sustainability Base, has served as an experimental model for smart and net zero buildings for over a decade. In this research note, we explore how the building was designed, constructed, and operated to achieve a positive impact on the environment. NASA teamed up with William McDonough […]

Schneider Electric hosted its Annual Capital Markets Day for investors and financial analysts, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on 9th November 2023. This Research Note focuses on the French conglomerate’s perspective of its energy management and automation portfolio in the smart commercial buildings market. Key takeaways are highlighted across its offerings and vertical […]

Building Energy Management is a broad category encompassing energy management software and hardware, energy efficiency services and sustainability and carbon management solutions for buildings. It also includes the technologies involved in creating grid-interactive buildings, such as demand response, virtual power plants, distributed energy management and behind-the-meter energy storage solutions. Within that space, a software category […]