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10/29/2020 The Zeal of the ConvertFast, Free, Easy to Access Data from SVCE’s Data Hive Wins Over a Holdout Cinnamon Energy Systems held off on using Silicon Valley Clean Energy’s Data Hive for a while. Their Director of Commercial Sales, Scott DuBois, confirmed as much. “We were slow to integrate. But all of the sudden, we saw the value.” Data Hive launched in April of 2020, just as Bay Area residents were waking up to the reality of their new sheltered-in-place, socially distant lives. All of the sudden, the days of ‘kitchen table’ solar sales were done. And with them, another casualty: the high quality customer interaction that had happened there, in those kitchens. Under the leadership of their CEO, Barry Cinnamon, Cinnamon Energy Systems re-framed the Data Hive as a tool that would take busywork off their plate, allowing them to prioritize interacting with the customers. “The Data Hive saves me 4-6 hours per customer,” said DuBois with relish. “You can text, email or use the phone to get an authorization. The flexibility is great.” Which is not to say that DuBois didn’t have some initial concerns. “One time, the data authorization request bounced. The user couldn’t open the data request. But that was because our team wasn’t executing properly. Also, it’s great that the customer doesn’t need their account number.” If DuBois has his way, Cinnamon Energy Systems won’t go back to the old ways anytime soon. “We have integrated Data Hive into the qualifying questions for both inside and outside sales. We send out the data request as part of our initial appointment. In my experience, it gives me everything I need in one place.” DuBois elaborated on one of our industry’s most basic facts: not having a bill can hold projects up. “I’d say 1 in 20 customers refuses to send you their electrical information. But the majority are open to it. The trust is great. Our customer base in some areas is older. A lot of them are in their mid 80s. I have stood next to them as they use their rotary phones to contact the utility companies. It still works, eventually! But I’m thinking ‘Oh my god, how do I collect your usage?’” “We have 20,000 legacy customers with solar. Their systems need updating. They need batteries. The interval data is incredibly helpful for battery projects. We also have large commercial projects in the works that will require us to go further out with data. We had one of our biggest months last month. We’re on the verge of adding more people.” “We’re going to be using you [Data Hive] a lot.” * * * About Cinnamon Energy Systems Cinnamon Energy Systems, “Silicon Valley's Premier Solar & Battery Storage Installer” has been designing and installing commercial and residential solar and battery storage systems for over 20 years. They take pride in their relationships with customers and the quality of their systems.  9/30/2020 Who is Working on Your Data Requests? UtilityAPI is growing, but we’re still a compact organization. Every new person we hire has a noticeable effect on who we are as a company. Strong hires are key to our success, and thus, to yours. Meet our latest strong hire, Yi-Ping Lai.
 The Clean Tech world does not look like America.
We in Clean Tech have failed to embrace the power that diversity in our teams can bring to the fight against climate change. Edict stands on the belief that diversity is good business. Diversity can lead us to new ideas and markets that we have overlooked, and bring better returns for our companies and ultimately, our planet. But at its core, Edict isn’t just a pronouncement of values. It’s a plan for action, for change. Edict will help member and sponsor companies make real, measurable progress in diversity and inclusion. Let’s think in terms of demand and supply. Edict demands diverse and inclusive voices at the decision-making tables in Clean Tech. And thus, Edict must begin the work by making sure there’s an adequate supply of those voices to strengthen teams across the clean energy ecosystem. To do this work, Edict is partnering with CELI, our industry’s not-for-profit leader in developing a pipeline of diverse leadership. Our three initial initiatives aren’t modest: Edict’s Plans Training new leaders Placing 25 college students from underrepresented backgrounds in paid summer internships Helping mid-career professionals transition to clean energy jobs Training and connecting 75 skilled professionals from underrepresented backgrounds with clean energy opportunities Building our community Doubling our current circle of around 30 member companies pledging to uphold the founding Edict Action Plan. These are big plans. And none of them can happen without you. If you can fund this work, we need you to sign on as a sponsor. If you can bring a diverse paid intern or mid-career hire onto your team, we need you to contact us. If your organization can commit to Edict’s founding principles, we need you to join us. Note: EnergyLab is based in Australia, thus their press release uses Australian spellings.  Thirteen of the world’s most promising late-stage clean energy startups are set to unlock growth and partnership opportunities after leading cleantech accelerator EnergyLab announced its inaugural Scaleup Program cohort today.
Built specifically to help accelerate high-impact clean energy startups in Australia and overseas, EnergyLab’s Scaleup Program will facilitate collaboration between fast-growing cleantech companies, energy utilities and other partner organisations. The program is backed by key energy stakeholders including the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), APA, Westpac, Powerlink, CS Energy, FRV, Counties Power, Nectr, Yurika and the International Microgrid Association. The thirteen companies selected to participate in the program have all demonstrated significant potential to develop and deploy technologies needed for the transition to 100 percent renewable energy. From hydrogen fuel cells to software for asset management and demand forecasting, their cleantech innovations were highlighted at a Scaleup Program launch event today. With the program now officially launched, each participating company begins a curated five-month journey to accelerate their growth through mentoring, access to advisors and facilitated collaboration and investment opportunities. Boosting the companies’ commercialisation capacity will be a key focus, with EnergyLab leveraging its expertise and network to help make strategic connections between startups and energy industry leaders, laying a critical foundation for impactful - and mutually beneficial - commercialisation pathways. Participating companies also gain access to legal and business support from EnergyLab partners Aperion Law and KPMG, respectively, enabling them to put their best foot forward as partnership opportunities arise. EnergyLab CEO James Tilbury said in a statement, “We’re optimistic about the potential impact our Scaleup Program will have. All the participants are high-quality companies positioned for growth, with strong strategic alignment with our partners. This, combined with our partners’ genuine commitment to innovate and collaborate, creates the perfect framework for rolling out new energy technologies.” ARENA CEO Darren Miller said: “It’s fantastic to see EnergyLab supporting 13 startups and companies in fast tracking their renewable energy technologies. Startups and entrepreneurs play a big part in developing and introducing new technologies that continue to make Australia one of the world leaders in renewable energy technology innovation. We’re also aware that startups can encounter many challenges when attempting to bring an idea to market and bridge the gap to commerciality, which is why EnergyLab’s scaleup program is so important going forward.” In addition to the program’s mentoring and business development benefits, participants will gain access to a uniquely global network within their cohort. A large number of international applications were received for the program, making it no surprise to see three overseas companies selected: hydrogen infrastructure specialist Hiringa Energy (New Zealand-based), demand forecasting company Amperon (USA-based) and utility data service UtilityAPI (also USA-based). Hannah McCaughey, APA’s Group Executive Transformation and Technology is enthusiastic about the benefit the program will deliver for the organisation: “The Scaleup Program provided APA a very efficient way to access a broad range of companies and innovative ideas. This is another great example of collaboration which will unlock potential for the industry and Australia.” McCaughey said. Each of the thirteen startups selected to join EnergyLab’s 2020 Scaleup Program cohort are listed below: Amperon (US) - Combines machine learning with deep energy and meteorology expertise to provide energy suppliers with best in class electricity demand forecasts. Aurtra - Assess, analyse and act to maximise transformer life with Aurtra HealthSense. Evergen - Evergen is a renewable energy software business that enables smarter energy by optimising energy storage systems and orchestrating large fleets of batteries to enable Virtual Power Plants. This ensures a resilient and decentralised energy system of the future and drives benefits for consumers, businesses, network operators and utilities. Everty - Provides a cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS) platform to companies installing Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure that enables them to monitor, manage and monetise their assets. Gridcognition - Planning and optimisation of distributed energy systems. Hiringa Energy (NZ) - Developing commercial scale green hydrogen projects. Infravision - Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Power Line Construction. MGA Thermal - Clean, economical and scalable thermal energy storage with a novel material, to convert retiring thermal power stations into grid scale renewable energy storage facilities. Powerpal - Connects your electricity meter to your smartphone and wirelessly tracks (in real time!) exactly how your home is using energy. Renewable Energy Hub - A clean energy marketplace and analytics platform supporting transactions by generators, energy retailers and customers in order to scale the uptake of renewable energy. UPowr - A digital platform redefining the solar and battery experience for households. UtilityAPI (US) - UtilityAPI provides easy, secure, functional access to energy data. Zenogen - Zenogen is bringing a complete hydrogen ecosystem from hydrogen production to mobility to communities and businesses. More information about each member of the 2020 EnergyLab Scaleup Program cohort is available at the EnergyLab website: https://energylab.org.au/startups, and recordings from today’s EnergyLab Scaleup Program 2020 launch event will be available to view from Tuesday, September 8 on YouTube. Part 2 of 2 | go to Part 1 UtilityAPI is in Oakland, CA. Today in the SF Bay Area, we're choking on smoke from wildfires caused by thousands of lightening strikes (also, high humidity, thunderstorms and lightening? In the Bay Area? In August? Super weird). Climate change is responsible for creating the conditions for all this. Fighting climate change is an all-hands-on-deck moment. It's no secret that diverse teams are essential. Let's get to it.  Where Do We Start? We’re not going to be able to fix the whole mess all at once. Here are a few ways to start: Policy / regulatory
Finance / business models
Structural / systemic We do need complex interventions to address the root causes of these issues. But we can start the work with our personal actions.
Everyone in the energy ecosystem needs easy access to secure data from a system that actually works. That's UtilityAPI. This post, as well as the previous one, was co-written with Shiva Patel, MBA Candidate @ Berkeley, Haas | Energy & Climate Justice Finance + Investments.
Clean Tech's mission is anti-racist. But our lack of diversity across our own teams handicaps our efforts. Part 1 of 2 | go to part 2  Clean tech exists to fight climate change. But we’re going about it with one hand tied behind our backs. Let’s fix that. We know climate change disproportionately impacts low wealth communities and communities of color. By its very nature, our mission is anti-racist. But our lack of diversity across our own teams handicaps our efforts. And the benefits of clean energy simply do not accrue equally to all individuals and communities. In addition to the moral imperative to diversify, which is massive, diversity in clean tech is simply good business. This is a huge opportunity for our industry not only to ally ourselves with what is right, but to grow. We can stamp out racism and exclusion where we see it. Doing that will make our industry stronger. We should want this. It’s not something to fight. It’s something to fight for, compelled by a sense of fairness and a vision of what our industry could be. Things are Better Than They Used to Be It can be depressing to look down the barrels of our double pandemic — COVID-19 and racial injustice — and wonder how clean tech can survive. And yet, our industry has made significant progress on other fronts. We now have many multiple billion dollar solar, EV and battery storage companies. Rooftop solar is growing dramatically — up 50% a year since 2012. Hardware technology costs and soft costs are plummeting. Permitting and interconnection barriers have dropped, making clean energy projects easier and faster to build. But It’s Still Bad; This Work Can’t Wait However, clean energy needs justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) more than ever. In the past few months, research from UC Berkeley and others has reminded us of the disparities in both the clean energy workforce, as well in solar energy deployment/business models. Low-income, Black and Latinx communities pay up to three times more than the average household on home energy costs, according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. This is what we call the Energy Burden. Despite showing higher levels of interest in fighting climate change, Black- and Latinx-majority census tracts have installed significantly less rooftop PV compared with no racial majority and white tracts. This is what we call a missed business opportunity. So, while clean tech is making strides, we can help it along by fixing these systemic, institutional and individual JEDI issues. Imagine how much faster and to scale we could do it with both hands free to get to work. Next week, Part 2: less talk, more action. Places to get started doing the work. Everyone in the energy ecosystem needs easy access to secure data from a system that actually works.That's UtilityAPI. This post was co-written with Shiva Patel, MBA Candidate @ Berkeley, Haas | Energy & Climate Justice Finance + Investments.  “You have solved our problem.” That’s how Rice Lummis summed up the impact of UtilityAPI on his team’s work at Energy by 5, an energy advisory firm that operates in several different markets across North America. Lummis and Anuniti Amireddy, an Energy Engineer, work together on demand-side analytics — looking at utility meter data, analyzing trends in tariff design — with an end goal of developing energy management strategies for their clients. It’s not always about saving money. “At the end of the day, our goal as a team is to help clients, primarily in states with competitive supply options in gas and electric. We can help people save money, increase sustainability and resiliency, or strengthen their budgeting plans. We model different scenarios for our clients so they can plan for what’s coming and prepare with confidence,” Lummis explained. The two are no strangers to big data sets. Even so, data consistency was a common pain point. “I’m comfortable working with big data sets, but getting Excel-friendly consistent formats was always a problem.” UtilityAPI’s fast, standardized data solutions made those problems simply disappear. The 5 team is proud of their custom in-house energy management portal — called Level5 — which they lean on for a good deal of their work. But not all of it. In particular, the data format utilized by one utility in New Jersey was eating up a great deal of their work time. “We have a large client base in New Jersey. But that’s just been one market where (for a variety of reasons) our internal development efforts have lagged our sales volume. UtilityAPI in that market has been really really helpful. A huge time saver. I can’t even calculate how many hours that has saved us,” Lummis added. But there was one problem. In order to do their risk management work, 5 needed one particular data point that our API wasn’t configured to return. Could we do a custom modification for them in order to capture this segment of the New Jersey market’s bills? UtilityAPI is big enough to tackle technical challenges, but small enough to be agile and responsive. So the answer — returned within 24 hours — was an enthusiastic yes. UtilityAPI jumped on the project. Within 4 business days, the work was done. “UtilityAPI has been a great partner for our business, helping us solve big data challenges in an industry with ever-increasing amounts of them. We appreciate their flexibility and outside the box thinking of the team as well as their technical ability to make changes to scripts and processes that better fit our business and our needs,” said Lummis. Amireddy confirms: “When I recently raised a support ticket on the website regarding an issue, the team was quick to respond and not only did they set a realistic expectation on when that will be solved but also kept us in the loop all along. Happy to be a UtilityAPI user.” Does near-instant standardized data sound like might take care of some of your pain points? What are you waiting for? Start sending your customers authorization forms for their data today — that's a FREE service.
6/30/2020 Six Guiding Principles for Data SharingBecause you care about fighting climate change [💚!] then data sharing is a topic you also need to care about. Here’s why. The data itself isn’t the goal. It’s only the first step of the process that ends in stopping climate change. Every innovative clean energy company needs data in order to make their climate-saving improvements. Solar and EV charger installers need consumer data in order to propose systems that will work. Real estate and property managers need it to determine how efficient their systems are, and generate energy savings at scale. Thinking of installing a solar energy storage system? See if it’s feasible for you first — you’re going to need data. And then you’ll need more data (ongoing monitoring) to see if it’s working. Good data that’s easy to access undergirds every piece of technology we have to fight climate change.
Restricted data and haphazard sharing practices hurt us all — consumers, clean energy providers and utilities. They distract us from the actual work of fighting climate change, forcing solution providers and innovators to focus on getting the data they need to decarbonize and making utilities scramble to provide it. It doesn’t have to be this way. To be clear, we’re not suggesting that private data be available to anyone. What we’re advocating for is easy-to-use data access if/when the consumer consents. Once they have easy access to high quality data, innovators, providers and utilities are free to focus on what they actually want to do. The utilities that understand the importance of data sharing are leading the way with more progressive business models that benefit their customers and their bottom line. That’s good news for everyone. But there aren’t enough of them. Yet. In the interest of encouraging more of this win-win progress, we’re going to share and break down UtilityAPI’s list of six guidelines for data sharing. 1. Full Data Set What should happen: Standardized data set, available for historical and ongoing data access. Why it matters: If/when data becomes available, it’s often incomplete or inconsistent to the point of being unusable. Standardized data encourages innovation by leveling the playing field. No one solution provider has an advantage based on what kind of data they can get or how much money they can pay for proprietary software to standardize the data. For a detailed list of what constitutes a full data set, feast your eyes on Appendix A, here. 2) In-the-Moment Data Access What should happen: Data delivered on demand, upon authorization and authentication. Here’s the standard we’d like to see: within 90 seconds of an authorized data sharing request, the data should begin streaming. Why it matters: Data delayed is often data denied (or forgotten about). Some utilities require up to 40 days (!) to respond to a data sharing request. A data sharing request shouldn’t require that much time. How many potential energy projects will wither and die after 40 days of neglect? 3) Instant, Digital Authorization What should happen: Simple online authorization is all it takes to authorize data sharing. Why it matters: We should get out of our own way. State and local governments have earnestly committed to admirable clean energy policies. We need to make it as easy as possible for concerned citizens and solution providers to actually make good on those promises. Consent doesn’t have to be cumbersome. Just obvious and clear. 4) Instant, Consumer-Centric Authentication What should happen: All parties ask for the same consumer-friendly authentication credentials, for example, phone number + texted code, or utility login if they have one. No third-party should be held to a higher authentication standard than the utility itself. Why it matters: Complex authentication and unexpected delays confuse consumers. They start to wonder if their data is still secure and private. Customers should be able to use a familiar online experience to authorize the release of their data using a proven and secure system. 5) One-click, Seamless User Experience What should happen: Once a consumer who wants to share their data has authenticated their account, it only takes one click to start sharing. A utility account holder can begin and end the process on a third-party website. The consumer can approve or reject all requests, as they see fit. The consumer should get a receipt after they authorize data sharing that includes the ability to revoke consent at any time. Why it matters: First, similar to #4, forcing the consumer to move between several websites in order to request data confuses people. Confused consumers worry that their data may be compromised. Furthermore, as online shopping has shown us, frictionless shopping experiences encourage people to buy. The same goes for clean energy projects. If we’re as serious about fighting climate change as we are about buying laundry detergent and toilet paper, we need to adopt the same tactic: frictionless buy-in. 6) Strong Security Protocols What should happen: Both third parties and utilities use cybersecurity best practices to keep customer data secure. Current best practices include encryption at rest and in transit, token authentication for API, and transparency around how customer data is used. Why it matters: You have to merit and earn trust. That’s a precious commodity. Encryption, audit logs, and keeping consumer data in the U.S. are key. We elaborate on recommended security elements in Appendix B here. Want to talk more about consensual data sharing? It’s all we do, and we do it well. We’d love to hear from you. Utilities across the country are already working with our model to give their customers the data access they’re clamoring for (and that regulators are requiring). We design our systems to be reproducible country-wide. Let’s talk about how to make it work for you. 6/16/2020 No Will? No way Our leadership team shares no major demographic. This is a strength — our diversity makes our business stronger. Police brutality and murder are the unsurprising outcomes of a larger issue that has been poisoning our country since its birth. The stain of white supremacy has tarnished our planet, our policies, and our pursuit of happiness as a people.
We know what to do about this problem. We know what programs and trainings can work. We know how to stop it. What we lack is the will to make the necessary changes. You know what other problem we know how to solve? Climate change. Again, we know what works, but for the most part, we aren’t doing it. And we certainly aren’t doing it fast enough. For too long as a country we have known the path forward, but we haven’t taken it. The path is hard. Changing things for the better can be painful, be it stamping out white supremacy or doing the necessary work to end climate change. On a related front, study after study confirms that companies with a diverse management team out-perform less diverse companies. Diversity in the upper echelons of a company isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s best for business. And yet, most management teams stubbornly continue to lack diversity. We know what to do, but we aren’t doing it. Reversing climate change and banishing systemic racism will lead to a stronger and freer future for all. At UtilityAPI, we are committed to doing the work. Our leadership team shares no major demographic. This is a strength — our diversity makes our business stronger. As we grow, we commit to maintaining a diverse, open, and accepting work culture throughout our teams. We will also prioritize, support and work with other companies and organizations who are doing the same. We invite you to join us. 5/28/2020 Simple question: Does it matter? Simple question: Does it matter? Simple answer: YES. UtilityAPI proudly identifies as a "mission-driven company.” Our mission is to fight climate change. The way we fight climate change is by making it easier for you, our customers, to help people convert to, use and store clean forms of energy. We give you the energy data you need to do your business faster and more easily, with less risk. This is decarbonization: the process of converting from carbon-based fuels — which both pollute our planet and contribute to making it warmer — to wind, solar or other non-carbon renewable forms of energy, which don’t. So, just how much decarbonizing are we all doing when you use UtilityAPI’s fast, easy, accurate utility data? Every month, UtilityAPI makes it possible for you and your customers to reduce CO2 emissions equivalent to driving 33,000,000 fewer miles. EVERY MONTH. That’s about 1300 fewer car trips around the earth every month. Not that any of us is traveling much these days. Still, 33,000,000 fewer miles driven per month is a number that matters. You matter. Your work matters, so our work matters. Without all of us doing the work of decarbonization together, the planet doesn’t really stand a chance. Thank you for also being mission-driven. Thanks for decarbonizing with UtilityAPI. Thanks for hanging in there through COVID-19. Decarbonizing is pretty great. Join us! Our data makes it so much easier for you to use online sales during these pandemic times, and beyond. What are you waiting for?
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