^{for environmentally friendly 420 kV Clean Air Applications}

WINTERBACH, Germany, Feb 6, 2024 – The CONNEX pluggable connection system from PFISTERER has been successfully certified by Siemens Energy for use in 420 kV Clean Air switchgears. PFISTERER is the first manufacturer to be certified for this application and is thus making an important contribution to environmentally friendly energy transmission.

The CONNEX pluggable connection system from PFISTERER has been successfully tested for use in environmentally friends 420 kV Clean Air switchgears.

Clean Air is an environmentally friendly, non-polluting insulating medium as an alternative to the well-known insulating gas sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). Clean Air consists solely of natural components of ambient air, such as oxygen and nitrogen. The use of Clean Air is intended to help minimize the environmental effects of electrical switchgears. PFISTERER’s Connex product family is the first pluggable connection technology for switchgear to be certified by Siemens Energy for 420 kV Clean Air applications. The socket forming the interface with the switchgear successfully passed the dielectric type test with Clean Air according to IEC 62271-203. The design of the socket was tested under increased pressure conditions, amongst other things.

“If electric power is generated in an environmentally friendly way, transmission and distribution must follow suit. Because our technology is used at the interfaces, it plays an important part in this. The successful testing confirms its reliability for Clean Air, which is an important step towards climate-friendly energy transmission,” says Alejandro Escobin, head of product management HV Cable Accessories at PFISTERER.

Key account manager, Norbert Fink adds: “The pluggability of the CONNEX system allows it to be installed quickly and easily, with a minimal space requirement and maximum flexibility. We are delighted that this technology will in future be contributing even more to improving sustainability.”

About PFISTERER

In 1921 Karl Pfisterer founded his factory for special electrical products in Stuttgart with the aim of improving the world of power transmission. The PFISTERER Group has pursued this goal of quality and technological leadership for more than 100 years. Today, PFISTERER is one of the world’s leading specialists and system suppliers for energy infrastructure – with a complete range of cable fittings, overhead line technology and components along the entire transmission chain from power generation to consumption. With state-of-the-art manufacturing processes and 1,200 employees at 19 international locations and 5 factories, PFISTERER not only connects the power grids of today and tomorrow, but also makes an important contribution to a sustainable and secure energy infrastructure.

For more information, visit PFISTERER website.

PETACH TIKVA, Israel, Feb 5, 2024 – mPrest, a leading developer and provider of dynamic grid aware, as well as Behind the Meter, Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS), has been chosen by EDF Renewables Israel Ltd., a subsidiary of EDF Renewables SA, an international energy company which develops, builds, and operates renewable power generation plants, and is a leader in the competitive renewable energy market, as its DERMS platform for the purpose of managing and optimizing its distributed solar and storage assets profits.

EDF Renewables Israel is the leading company in the growing competitive distributed energy market in Israel.  To maximize its trading profits between the energy market, distributed generation and storage, and energy sales to customers, EDF Renewables Israel requires a sophisticated Virtual Power Plant (VPP) platform.  Said platform goes beyond a standard VPP platform. It acts as a “system of systems” orchestration platform, integrating with all distributed generation, as well as with multiple Energy Management Systems (EMS’) at large distributed solar sites, and offers an end-to-end energy-cost optimization of all distributed generation and storage.

“mPrest’s DERMS represents a leap forward in energy innovation, seamlessly integrating, managing, and optimizing diverse energy resources. It’s not just about power; it’s a strategic approach to creating a more resilient and sustainable energy ecosystem,” said Natan Barak, mPrest’s CEO. “After investing years in our architecture and infrastructure for distribution companies, we are fortunate to have expanded our Enterprise DERMS offering to include Edge DERMS for VPPs and aggregators as well.  We are therefore honored to partner with EDF Renewables, in optimizing and managing their distributed flexibility and energy trading profits.”

“In a rapidly evolving energy landscape, our solar and storage based VPP harnesses energy from distributed resources, and optimizes energy production, while paving the way for a cleaner energy future,” said Ayalon Vaniche the CEO of EDF Renewables Israel. “In the journey towards a cleaner and more efficient energy future, our VPP takes center stage.”

“mPrest’s DERMS is pioneering a new era of energy management.  It’s about seamlessly integrating renewable resources, storage technologies, and advanced analytics, to create a dynamic and efficient energy ecosystem,” said Ron Halpern, mPrest’s chief commercial officer. “We’re excited to introduce a paradigm shift in energy dynamics.  It’s not just about generating power, it’s about orchestrating a symphony of distributed energy resources to create a resilient and sustainable energy infrastructure, while optimizing grid-edge flexibility, and reducing energy costs.”

About mPrest

Leveraging its unparalleled experience and expertise in real-time mission-critical command and control software, mPrest has developed the world-leading distributed asset orchestration and optimization software. mPrest’s micro-services based, real-time orchestration and optimization platform brings the power of AI and IoT to the digital transformation of the energy and other industrial IOT markets. mPrest’s applications suite, including Distributed Energy Resources Management Systems (DERMS) and Asset Health Management (AHM) are deployed on premise or in the cloud in record time in the most forward-looking and efficient organizations worldwide, including some of the world’s largest energy companies. mPrest’s vendor-agnostic product suite interfaces with millions of sensors, devices, machines, assets, subsystems, IT and OT applications, creating a system of systems that provides end-to-end visibility and control over complex and distributed operations.

For more information, visit www.mprest.com.

About EDF Renewables Israel

EDF Renewables Israel, part of the global EDF Group (the French National Electricity Company), is the leading company in the growing and competitive Israeli renewable energy market. As part of a foremost world corporation, EDF Renewables brings the financial stability and proven capabilities to develop, plan and execute ground-breaking projects on a national scale with proven track record. EDF Renewables Israel has been an active player in Israel since 2009, with a vision to spearhead the renewable energy revolution in Israel by developing projects based on the most innovative solutions and top-notch technologies in the field. EDF Renewables has extensive experience in every stage of renewable energy projects: initiation, development, planning and engineering, procurement, construction, operation, maintenance and management. The company is actively involved in all types of PV, including ground projects, electricity storage, projects over agricultural fields (Agro PV) and on fishponds, water reservoirs, and rooftops.

^{for Water Utilities}

WALNUT CREEK, CA, Feb 1, 2024 – The US Water Alliance (the Alliance) and The Water Research Foundation (WRF) have assembled a team of utilities, researchers, and technical experts to establish industry‐wide guidance and tools to help improve greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction efforts at water and wastewater utilities.

Considering increasing pressure from the global community to reduce GHG emissions (e.g., via the Paris Agreement) and the frequency of extreme climate events, the water sector has increased its efforts in this area.

As utilities work to mitigate GHG emissions, conducting a GHG emissions inventory is the first step to understanding current emission sources. Although many GHG estimation methodologies exist, there is no utility-facing industry-wide framework or easy‐to‐use resource that provides water utilities with practical guidance on which emissions are essential to address and what the best available methods are for assessing them over the lifecycle of capital and operational emissions.

Funded by WRF’s Research Priority Program along with utility partners, WRF Project 5188 – Establishing Industry‐Wide Guidance for Water Utility Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories – aims to create a utility‐facing guidance document and a replicable accounting tool that captures worldwide best practices for estimating direct and indirect GHG emissions at utilities using a lifecycle approach. The guide will provide context for which GHG emissions are vital to include as well as areas of emissions with higher and lower certainty estimates to scale GHG reduction efforts across utilities of all sizes and geographies.

“Understanding current greenhouse gas emission sources is a vital step for water and wastewater utilities working to mitigate climate change impacts,” said Dr. Peter Grevatt, CEO of The Water Research Foundation. “We are excited to work with the US Water Alliance’s strong cross-sector team to develop international, industry-wide consensus around GHG accounting and methodologies.”

As well as WRF funding, the approximately $600,000 project includes in-kind contributions from numerous consultancy firms, associations, and more than a dozen supporting utilities.

Principal Investigator and US Water Alliance Director of Climate Action David Ponder commented on the formation of the team:

“Our team of leading researchers and practitioners will allow for international collaboration and consensus-building with a commitment towards long-term implementation support through the Alliance network and our partners, as well as seeking to scale what works. Furthermore, we bring the ability to divide the work among different GHG subject matter expert teams to efficiently execute tasks, delivering maximum value and impact for the international water community.”

Following a 21-month research process since October 2023, the guidance document and GHG emissions accounting tool will be made publicly available for industry dissemination. Additionally, peer-reviewed articles and conference workshops will be key to educating the water sector on estimating direct and indirect utility GHG emissions.

“This project is a unique opportunity to bring the global water community together, gain consensus, and standardize GHG accounting for water utilities so everyone follows the science and best practices, allowing us to accurately estimate emissions and more effectively plan and take climate action,” said Brown and Caldwell’s Dr. John Willis, an authority on utility GHG emissions and a contributing researcher.

About The US Water Alliance

The US Water Alliance is a national membership organization advancing policies and programs to secure a sustainable One Water future for all. We believe that all water has value. Life’s most precious resource must be managed sustainably and inclusively to build strong economies, vibrant communities, and healthy environments.

For more information, visit www.uswateralliance.org

About The Water Research Foundation

The Water Research Foundation (WRF) is the leading research organization advancing the science of all water to meet the evolving needs of its subscribers and the water sector. WRF is a nonprofit, educational organization that funds, manages, and publishes research on the technology, operation, and management of drinking water, wastewater, reuse, and stormwater systems—all in pursuit of ensuring water quality and improving water services to the public.

For more information, visit www.waterrf.org

About Brown and Caldwell

Headquartered in Walnut Creek, CA, Brown and Caldwell is a full-service environmental engineering and construction services firm with 52 offices and over 1,900 professionals across North America and the Pacific. For more than 75 years, our creative solutions have helped municipalities, private industry, and government agencies successfully overcome their most challenging water and environmental obstacles.

For more information, visit www.brownandcaldwell.com.

BEDFORD, MA, Jan 31, 2024 – Aspen Technology, Inc., a global leader in industrial software, announced its commitment to achieving company-wide emission reductions in line with climate science and the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi), the leading organization driving science-based target adoption. The company intends to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for Scope 1 and Scope 2 by 2030 with a significant reduction in Scope 3 by 2030 and full net-zero by 2045.

“AspenTech has a decades long history of partnering with asset-intensive industries to provide the expertise and digital technology to guide them in their sustainability journeys,” said Antonio Pietri, president and CEO at AspenTech. “Today, with the support of our Board of Directors and executive team, I’m pleased to share that in addition to the solutions for customers, we are committing to our own net-zero target as part of tackling climate change.”

Added Rasha Hasaneen, chief product and sustainability officer at AspenTech, “Confronting climate change has never been more critical, and AspenTech is committed to operating in the most responsible way possible — and partnering with our customers to do the same. Our innovative sustainability solutions portfolio in combination with our own net-zero initiative will make a significant contribution to achieving a net-zero future.”

In keeping with the SBTi guidelines, AspenTech is developing a plan to achieve these targets which will be submitted within the next 24 months. To learn more about AspenTech’s sustainability initiatives, see the company’s latest ESG Report.

About Aspen Technology

Aspen Technology (AspenTech) is a global software leader helping industries at the forefront of the world’s dual challenge to meet the increasing demand for resources from a rapidly growing population in a profitable and sustainable manner. AspenTech solutions address complex environments where it is critical to optimize the asset design, operation and maintenance lifecycle. Through our unique combination of deep domain expertise and innovation, customers in asset-intensive industries can run their assets safer, greener, longer and faster to improve their operational excellence.

To learn more, visit AspenTech.com.

AiDash announced that it received $50 million in funding, bringing the total raised to date to $83 million. The Series C round was oversubscribed, indicative of growing investor interest in proven, scalable, and effective climate technologies.

Global impact investment firm Lightrock led AiDash’s funding round, with Partner Ashish (Ash) Puri joining the company’s board of directors. SE Ventures, a global venture fund backed by Schneider Electric, also participated in the round, alongside all of AiDash’s previous investors, including G2 Venture Partners, Benhamou Global Ventures, National Grid Partners, Edison International, Shell Ventures, and additional strategic investors. Funds will be used to fuel growth as AiDash anticipates nearly doubling its team of 300 over the next two years. The company will also establish a European headquarters and continue to expand internationally to meet growing demand.

This funding round comes amid a surge in demand for AiDash’s suite of satellite-first products, including its Intelligent Vegetation Management System (IVMS), which enables utilities to identify vegetation risks before they damage the grid and optimize maintenance cycles, and its Intelligent Sustainability Management System (ISMS), an essential tool for organizations seeking to comply with the UK’s mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain laws introduced under the Environment Act 2021. In addition to growing interest in the US and the UK, AiDash is gaining growth momentum in Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The company has more than 150 customers worldwide and has been more than doubling its annual recurring revenue (ARR) every year since the company’s inception in 2019.

“Our aging infrastructure is breaking under the strain of environmental change, putting lives at risk,” said Abhishek Singh, co-founder and CEO of AiDash. “Better tools and technologies are required to manage this growing risk and its potential future impact. Our combination of satellite technology and AI is capable of managing this risk and safeguarding at-risk systems, like those managed by utility companies which often span huge geographical areas. With this funding, we look forward to expanding our reach and bringing the benefits of AiDash to more markets.”

“AiDash’s full-stack software suite delivers significant ROI for customers and positive impact for companies, communities, people, and the climate,” added Ash Puri, partner at Lightrock. “As the effects of the climate emergency grow more severe, so will the need for software solutions like AiDash that can safeguard the huge number of geographically distributed assets, enabling customers to provide reliable service to their clients, and meet their regulatory obligations while also reducing risk from extreme weather, wildfires, and habitat destruction.”

Adapting to Climate Change: Impacting the Present and the Future

Climate change is creating unprecedented risks for enterprises across sectors operating critical infrastructure. For example, climate change hazards increasingly interfere with power systems through direct effects such as storms, flooding, and wildfires. The average US customer has lost power an average of over seven hours per year since 2020, with the vast majority of outages caused by extreme weather. These outages result in untold damage every year, including 2.5 TWh of electricity loss, over $150 billion of economic loss, and millions of people’s lives affected.

AiDash’s products are redefining grid reliability and resource efficiency. Its technology can reduce the number of vegetation-caused power outages during storms by 15%, boost grid reliability by 5-15%, and deliver Operations & Maintenance (O&M) cost efficiencies to clients of 10-20%, creating value for customers and delivering climate impact. The company’s impact extends beyond cost-savings and includes safeguarding the environment and human lives by reducing the likelihood of wildfires caused by vegetation interfering with the safe operation of assets.

“The quality and accuracy of the AiDash habitat mapping is the best I have seen to date from remote sensing, and for the first time it is comparable with traditional ground survey mapping for Phase 1 surveys,” said David Smith, Natural Water Resources team manager, at South West Water. “This is a paradigm shift for the future of mapping and monitoring habitats.”

A Full Stack Solution for Critical Infrastructure Maintenance & Climate Resilience 

Today, AiDash provides five different end-to-end applications with workflows designed for different use cases that immediately create business value. These include: Intelligent Vegetation Management System (IVMS) for electric utilities and others to manage vegetation risk along rights-of-way and improve grid resiliency; Intelligent Sustainability Management System (ISMS) for land and construction, water and wastewater, government agencies, and others to meet their Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and carbon goals; CRIS, the Climate Risk Intelligence System for electric utilities and other industries to increase their climate resiliency by accurately forecasting outages caused by storms and wildfires, assessing damages quickly, restoring services safely, and communicating effectively; IEMS, the Integrity and Encroachment Management System for gas utilities to improve reliability and safety by mitigating pipeline integrity risks like vegetation overgrowth, illegal construction, forest clearings, erosion and land use changes; and Remote Inspection and Monitoring System (RIMS) helps industries inspect and monitor their critical infrastructure, such as roads and railroads.

Each application is powered by AiDash’s satellite-first platform that uses imagery from the world’s largest and best satellite data providers, combined with other data and its own AI. Its AI system has been trained on diverse vegetation and climate conditions from 48 of the 50 US states. Additionally, it is capable of using detailed satellite imagery to assess the current condition of infrastructure assets and how they are likely to degrade in the future, providing a significant advantage to customers who can now address issues before they become problems.

About AiDash

AiDash is making critical infrastructure industries climate-resilient and sustainable with satellites and AI. Using AiDash’s full-stack SaaS solutions, customers in electric, gas, and water utilities, transportation, and construction are transforming asset inspection and maintenance – and complying with biodiversity net gain mandates and carbon capture goals.

Learn more at www.aidash.com.

About Lightrock 

Lightrock is a global impact investing platform that backs purpose-driven companies tackling the world’s biggest challenges. Lightrock invests in companies that pursue scalable and tech-driven business models around the key impact themes of people, planet, and productivity/tech for good. Lightrock’s portfolio includes more than 90 high-growth companies across Europe, US, Latin America, India, and Africa, supported by more than 105 Lightrock professionals based in 6 global offices. Lightrock is backed by LGT, the international private banking and asset management group, and other leading global institutions.

For more information, please visit www.lightrock.com.