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EV Charging Management Platform Driivz secures $12m

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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Driivz has secured $12 million investment from a funding round with participants including Inven Capital, Centrica and Ombu Group.

The three funds will join the board of directors of the company alongside Tsahi Merkur, the company’s founder and seed investor.

Inven says Israel-based Driivz was selected following a ‘comprehensive due diligence process for its leadership and innovative approach developing the best-in-class Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Management platform for EV service providers’.

The Driivz platform is already deployed by multiple energy companies, used by over 300,000 drivers, and supports more than 80 types of charging stations.

The partners say there is a rising need for a reliable, stable, and easy to use charging infrastructure. In addition, the mounting demand for electricity, the increased burden on the existing electricity grid, and the emphasis on the use of renewable energy, has led utility companies to rethink their production and storage assets as well as their control systems.

Finally, one of the most important factors to enable the expected growth in adoption of EVs is the availability of an effective, comprehensive, easy-to-use charging platform that is based on open standards. These factors, they say, make the Driivz management platform a ‘must-have solution’.

The Driivz EV Charging Management platform is an end-to-end, modular system, offering charging operations management, user & grid management, billing capabilities, home, public & workplace charging support, and driver enablement apps. It is fully compliant with OCPP 2.0 and ISO 15118: Vehicle to Grid (V2G) Communication Interface, for communication between EVs and the charging stations.

“The electric vehicle market is experiencing phenomenal growth, and there is no longer doubt that this technology will become mainstream within the next decade. This growth must be supported with an efficient EV charging infrastructure, which is effectively managed to facilitate the increase in energy demand. INVEN continually seeks investment opportunities in companies positioned to lead the energy revolution such as Driivz, which offers a comprehensive and innovative platform providing the most advanced energy management capabilities,” said Michal Mravec, Investment Manager, Inven Capital.

“We are excited to welcome INVEN as our newest investor, and believe we are now well positioned to continue to deliver on our promise of developing leading innovative solutions for the EV charging industry,” said Doron Frenkel, CEO of Driivz. “Driivz is committed to leading the energy revolution by empowering EV service providers and Utilities to use the electrification of transport as a balancing tool to enable more efficient power utilization.”

“It’s great to welcome another investor to the table as Driivz continues to grow its global position as a leader in EV charging management. Having already integrated their platform into our own intelligent EV charging offer, I have no doubt that Driivz will continue to play an important role in building the technology that will see e-mobility at the very heart of an energy future that is cleaner and more connected than ever,” said Charles Cameron, Chairman of Centrica Innovations.

Last remaining supplier places left for the FM Forum

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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Time is running out to claim supplier stands and delegate places at the Facilities Management Forum – there are just a handful of tickets available.

28 & 29 January – Radisson Blu Hotel, London Stansted

Here’s what you’ll be missing…

  • The opportunity for suppliers and buyers to meet for pre-arranged, face-to-face meetings based on requirements and upcoming budgets
  • A schedule of seminars throughout the two-day event, hosted by industry thought-leaders and designed to provide you with take-home tips that will benefit your career and your organisation
  • Unrivalled networking with senior FM professionals
  • Overnight accommodation
  • All meals and refreshments
  • An invitation to a gala dinner

Don’t delay! Register your place today!

If you’re unable to attend later this month, we host the Facilities Management Forum in July too – 1 & 2 July 2019, Hilton Deansgate, Manchester.

For more information on attending as a delegate, contact Paige Aitken on 01992 374079 or email p.aitken@forumevents.co.uk.

Or to attend as an industry supplier, contact Sam Walker on 01992 374054 or email s.walker@forumevents.co.uk.

Secure your place at the Energy Management Summit

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

This unique two-day event is tailor-made for senior energy managers and takes place on September 30th & October 1st 2019 at the Radisson Blu Hotel, London Stansted and is FREE for you to attend!

Simply register your place here.

  • Meet with innovative and budget-saving suppliers based on your own personal requirements
  • Attend a series of insightful seminars
  • Network with like-minded energy managers
  • Enjoy complimentary overnight accommodation, all meals and refreshments, plus an invitation to our gala dinner, with entertainment.
  • Give your business the edge in 2019 and beyond

Don’t miss out! There are only a limited number of VIP places available.

Or for more information call Donald Matanga on 01992 374075 or email d.matanga@forumevents.co.uk.

To attend as a supplier, call Lisa Rose on 01992 374077 or email l.rose@forumevents.co.uk.

www.energymanagementsummit.co.uk.

Energy management software market to see ‘massive’ growth

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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The global energy management software market is expected to display higher growth over the next five years, according to new research.

A report from Radiant Insights says the rapid digitalisation of the energy and power generation sector is expected boost market demand for advanced solutions.

Globally, the market is predicted to generate ‘massive’ revenue over next seven years, providing numerous opportunities for market players to invest for research and development.

Increasing adoption of efficient and reliable information technology (IT) platforms that help organisations to monitor, control and optimise available resources, is anticipated to play vital role in future market growth.

In particular, the report says energy management software is gaining traction in sector such as power and manufacturing enterprises, telecom & IT sector and retail & offices sector, thus offering numerous growth opportunities for industry participates over the forecast period.

In addition, increasing commercialisation and development of innovative products alongside incorporation of SCADA systems are anticipated to steer market growth. Development of advanced technologies such as small signal analysis and CRAS, which are capable of enhancing overall energy efficiency of the systems, is anticipated to boost market demand over the next seven years.

Use of small signal analysis and CRAS helps to decrease carbon footprint, thus offer immense potential for market growth in the near future.

North America has shown major growth in recent years owing to the rise in the implementation of latest technologies in the power generation sector, increase in the number of research & development activities in the region, substantial need to limit power losses, and the existence of well-established industrial infrastructure.

The Asia-Pacific region is predicted to hold major market share in the energy management software market in the forecast period, with countries such as India, China and Singapore leading the way with rapid urbanisation, strong economic growth, rising energy demands, favorable government policies and significant investment by leading industry players.

SSE calls off Npower merger plan

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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The SSE plc board has decided it is not now in the best interests of customers, employees or shareholders to proceed with the proposed merger of its retail business with Npower.

In a statement, the company said it had decided that other options for SSE Energy Services should now be considered, including a standalone demerger and listing on either the premium or the standard listing segment of the Official List, a sale or an alternative transaction.

The statement read: “While the Board believed strongly in the new company’s potential to deliver benefits for customers and the wider market, it does not now believe the new company would be in a position to meet trading collateral requirements in a sustainable way; and does not now believe the new company would be capable of listing on the premium segment of Official List and Main Market of the London Stock Exchange.”

The transaction has been impacted by multiple factors including the performance of the respective businesses, clarity on the final level of the default tariff cap, changing energy market conditions and the associated implications of these for both the joint business plan and the market in which the business would be operating.

SSE says these implications meant the new company would have faced very challenging market conditions, particularly during the period when it would have incurred the bulk of the integration costs.

SSE Energy Services is expected to be profitable and cash flow positive in 2018/19 and 2019/20 and continues to deliver strong performance for customers, across a wide range of measures. These include ranking second of 34 suppliers in the most recent Citizens Advice energy supplier performance rankings, industry-leading performance on Guaranteed Standards and ranking best for complaint handling in Ofgem’s 2018 customer satisfaction survey.

SSE believes that SSE Energy Services will be best positioned to build on this strong performance in a future outside of the SSE group. With that in mind, SSE will continue to build on the significant work done to date to separate SSE Energy Services as an independent, self-sufficient entity within the group, in preparation for its future outside it.

Alistair Phillips-Davies, Chief Executive of SSE plc, said: “This was a complex transaction with many moving parts. We closely monitored the impact of all developments and continually reviewed whether this remained the right deal to do for our customers, our employees and our shareholders. Ultimately, we have now concluded that it is not. This was not an easy decision to make, but we believe it is the right one.

“SSE Energy Services remains a profitable business with a strong track record, a customer-centric culture and an excellent team that has enabled it to be a market-leader for many years. We will build on this while continuing with separation activity in preparation for its long-term future outside the SSE group.

“We are now exploring all the available options with a view to delivering this future in the best possible way. In this, the interests of our customers, employees and shareholders remain paramount. In the meantime, we remain strongly committed to high standards of service for customers and delivery of our five-year dividend plan for shareholders.”

Brexit is already leading to higher energy prices

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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Consumers paid on average £75 more in the year after the EU referendum for gas and electricity, according to research by UCL, with the business sector also to be hit as wholesale prices fluctuate.

A hard Brexit could lead to a further average rise of £61 per year in the event of further devaluation of sterling to pound-euro parity.

The UCL researchers found that energy bills increased overall by £2 billion in 2017 due to the lower value of sterling relative to the euro and US dollar.

The average wholesale prices of electricity and gas rose by 18 per cent and 16 per cent respectively in the year after the referendum, translating into a £35 increase for electricity and £40 for gas.

Lead author Dr Giorgio Castagneto Gissey (UCL Bartlett School of Environment, Energy & Resources), said: “We know that exchange rates fell after the EU referendum but we can now look at the effect this had on wholesale and consumer energy prices.

“The exchange rate depreciation plus the fact that energy prices are now much more volatile means consumers have been paying more and are facing even higher bills over the next several months.”

The wholesale gas price makes up 39 per cent of the price paid by consumers, so the 16 per cent increase resulted in a six per cent (£40) increase in retail prices. The variability of wholesale gas prices increased by 60 per cent in the year after the vote.

Co-author Professor Michael Grubb (UCL Bartlett School of Environment, Energy & Resources) said: “Forecasts always carry some uncertainty, but this research pinpoints historical fact: the referendum result, through its impact on exchange rates, has been the principal factor driving up UK household energy prices over the past two years.”

The Government passed a law in July giving Ofgem the power to set a price cap, and subsequently a cap said to save the average household £75 a year on standard tariffs has been proposed.

The predicted price rise of a further £61 resulting from a hard Brexit breaks down into £29 from electricity and £32 for gas. This corresponds to a predicted extra £1.5 billion added to consumers’ annual energy bill from the end of March 2019 to the end of March 2020.

The academics analysed the behaviour of the wholesale electricity price in the UK alongside the sterling to euro exchange rate between 2012 and 2017, finding that as the exchange rate fell dramatically after the EU referendum the electricity price increased over the subsequent year, directly reflecting the resulting higher cost of energy imports.

The prediction following a hard Brexit is based on an assumption of a further depreciation of sterling to sterling-euro parity, with a 12 per cent drop from the exchange rate of 1.14 on the 3 November 2018. The change in annual bills was calculated assuming everything else is held constant between 29 March 2019 and 29 March 2020.

The team behind the overall report used several data types; electricity generation and thermal efficiencies of fuel-intensive plants were used to calculate the shares at margin, with fuel and imbalance prices and volumes used to model electricity prices and derive pass-through rates.

For the overall report, the researchers aimed to understand the principal determinants of electricity wholesale prices in the UK and some major European markets. Those considered additionally were Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Norway from 2012 to 2017. The report found Great Britain to be among the most cost-reflective of a sample of European electricity wholesale markets.

Northumbrian Water trials storage with Renault batteries

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

Second-life lithium batteries from Renault cars will be installed by Northumbrian Water through 2019 in a bid to trial energy storage systems by the company.

The trial is expected to take place at the company’s sites across the north-east of England and the counties of Essex and Suffolk.

The storage units will be used to manage energy loads and help reduce energy spend, particularly through the night, in addition to providing power through peak evening times.

The batteries will be commissioned by Autumn 2019 and will be a joint contract between Northumbrian Water and partners, including Argonaut Power, with the latter supplying the behind-the-meter storage systems and managing the operation.

Investor Ingenious is backing Argonaut Power, with strategic advisor Ikigai Capital proving a bankable structure for the pilot.

The battery systems will be provided by energy storage engineering company, Connected Energy.

Argonaut Managing Director and Ingenious Senior Investment Director Roberto Castiglioni said: “We are excited to enter into an exclusive partnership with Northumbrian Water to install and manage behind-the-meter storage at some of their critical sites.

“We believe we have created something unique and innovative through a combination of technical and financial engineering. As far as we know, we’re the only fully-funded solution offering 30-year storage installations to commercial and industrial customers under a revenue sharing agreement, boosting site profitability.”

Northumbrian Water Energy Development Manager Anthony Browne said: “Large-scale battery storage is going to be a major feature of the electricity industry going forward and this is a great opportunity for us to develop our understanding of these processes.

“We expect that having batteries on site can also help us obtain more value from any renewable energy we generate on our sites.”

Energy Management Summit 2019 – Register your VIP place

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

Make sure you register for the Energy Management Summit – a unique two-day event tailor-made for senior energy managers.

It takes place on September 30th& October 1st 2019 at the Radisson Blu Hotel, London Stansted and is FREE for you to attend!

Simply register your place here.

  • Meet with innovative and budget-saving suppliers based on your own personal requirements
  • Attend a series of insightful seminars
  • Network with like-minded energy managers
  • Enjoy complimentary overnight accommodation, all meals and refreshments, plus an invitation to our gala dinner, with entertainment.
  • Give your business the edge in 2019 and beyond

Don’t miss out! There are only a limited number of VIP places available.

Or for more information call Donald Matanga on 01992 374075 or email d.matanga@forumevents.co.uk.

To attend as a supplier, call Lisa Rose on 01992 374077 or email l.rose@forumevents.co.uk.

www.energymanagementsummit.co.uk.

Shell ties exec pay to carbon reduction targets

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

Shell is linking its executive pay to carbon emissions reduction targets as part of a plan developed with its institutional investors on behalf of Climate Action 100+, an initiative led by investors with more than $32 trillion in assets under management.

The company aims to reduce the Net Carbon Footprint of its energy products by around half by 2050, and by around 20% by 2035, in step with society’s drive to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Shell says it’s building on that long-term ambition with the commitment to setting specific Net Carbon Footprint targets for shorter periods, of three or five years.

It will set the target each year, for the following three- or five-year period. The target setting process will start from 2020 and will run to 2050.

Shell plans to link these targets and other measures to its executive remuneration policy. The revised remuneration policy will be put to shareholders for approval at the company’s Annual General Meeting in 2020.

The announcement is part of a drive to increase transparency around the topic of climate change, and to create clear benchmarks for performance.

Shell will publish its progress towards lowering the Net Carbon Footprint of its energy products initially in the Sustainability Report.

In line with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), Shell intends to integrate this disclosure into the Annual Report and Form 20-F as appropriate. The company will seek third-party assurance of the reported Net Carbon Footprint.

“Meeting the challenge of tackling climate change requires unprecedented collaboration and this is demonstrated by our engagements with investors,” said Shell Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden. “We are taking important steps towards turning our Net Carbon Footprint ambition into reality by setting shorter-term targets. This ambition positions the company well for the future and seeks to ensure we thrive as the world works to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change.”

“We applaud the joint statement by Shell and lead investors for Climate Action 100+,” said Anne Simpson, the inaugural Chair of the Climate Action 100+ Steering Committee and Director of Board Governance and Strategy at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS). “The commitment by Shell to fully respond to the engagement shows the value of dialogue and global partnership to deliver on the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change. Shell is setting the pace, and we look forward to other major companies following its lead.”

Peter Ferket, Chief Investment Officer of Robeco, said: “When it comes to meeting the demands of the Paris Agreement on climate change, we believe it is necessary to strengthen partnerships between investors and their investee companies to accelerate progress towards reaching such an ambitious common goal. This joint statement is an example of such a partnership. As institutional investors in Shell we continue to support Shell on its journey in the energy transition, aiming for other companies to follow suit.”

The full text of the joint statement is available here: https://www.shell.com/media/news-and-media-releases/2018/joint-statement-between-institutional-investors-on-behalf-of-climate-action-and-shell.html

ABM UK announces first J.E.E.P graduates

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

Thirty-six school children from West London graduated from the world’s first Junior Engineering Engagement Programme (J.E.E.P), which first started in January 2018.

The programme seeks to change perceptions of apprenticeships and make a real impact in the engineering and facilities management sectors by making use of the expertise offered by ABM UK employees.

The graduation follows research highlighting that sixty per cent of young people were unlikely to consider working in the engineering and facilities management industries, fuelling the creation of a skills gap.

Students from Northolt High School, Brentside High School and Featherstone High School presented their final projects, exploring how schools can be more sustainable, at ABM’s training centre in Greenford.

Each student has been awarded an official commendation from certified industry body, the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM, formerly BIFM).

Adam Baker, ABM UK director, said: “We have a responsibility as an industry to engage young people and demonstrate the attractive careers available, whether you are entering the industry through an apprenticeship or a university degree. The first year of our J.E.E.P initiative is a fantastic step towards doing this and we’re delighted that it’s been such a success.

“We set out to change perceptions of technical careers and the feedback from our students has been overwhelmingly positive. There’s clear evidence that exposing young people to the realities of the job, coupled with the right education, can transform how careers in engineering and facilities management are viewed. I wish the thirty-six young people every success in the future.”

Linda Hausmanis, Chief Executive of the IWFM, said: “The Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (formerly BIFM) is delighted to support ABM UK in this initiative. Today’s graduation marks an important moment for the industry – it’s a step towards making apprenticeships in facilities management a stronger proposition for young people looking at career choices, and compliments IWFM’s work to reposition the FM profession as a career of choice not chance.

“There’s a serious skills gap in the industry, which can only be plugged if we pull together to highlight the fulfilling end careers we can offer. We look forward to next year when the programme aims to engage even more young people in careers in workplace and facilities management.”

Over the course of the year, students studied a syllabus comprising of 10 modules that cover the basic principles of engineering and facilities management. Topics such as heating, security and customer services were also included alongside theories of induction, electricity and energy. The course also allowed students to visit The London Transport Museum Depot and Heathrow Airport to explore the everyday reality of jobs in engineering and facilities management.

Morgan from Northolt High School said: “When I started the J.E.E.P course I had heard the word ‘apprentice’ before but I wasn’t sure what an apprenticeship was, or what a career in facilities management was. Now I understand about what careers are available and also what they are about. I’m even thinking about being an electrician when I’m older.”

Speaking of the value of apprenticeships in her role as J.E.E.P ambassador, Stemettes co-founder and CEO Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon said: “University is often publicised as the ‘only’ route but this is not true. Apprenticeships are a fantastic viable alternative, which allows young people to earn while they learn and then, often before they are 20 years of age, have debt-free foundations from which to build a solid, well-paid career. Not enough people know about the breadth and availability of apprenticeships; Initiatives such as the J.E.E.P positively profile the virtues of technical careers and engage young people in the options available to them at an age when they are forming views on their career paths.”

J.E.E.P is supported by industry partners including Helistrat, SMI Workwear, Electric Centre, Westbury Filtermation, Trinity Security and Fire and Diversey.