Month: July 2023

DENVER, July 11, 2023 /3BL/ – The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN²), a technology incubator and platform funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and co-administered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), announced today it selected seven startups to participate in the program’s 12th cohort. The cohort consists of sustainable agriculture companies focused on mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change on global food systems.

“In the face of intensifying challenges in the agriculture industry and our environment, the world urgently needs innovative, sustainable solutions,” said Trish Cozart, IN² program manager and the director of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at NREL. “With projections indicating a global population of 10 billion people by 2050, we must develop methods that not only increase productivity, but do so without causing harm to our planet. IN² is at the forefront of this mission, supporting promising startups that are reimagining the future of food and farming.”

Each company will receive up to $250,000 in non-dilutive funding for various technical assistance and field trial projects to further refine their technologies and business models. The companies will work alongside world-renowned principal investigators at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri, the world’s largest independent plant science research institute.

“IN²’s twelfth cohort highlights some of the best startups in climate-aligned agriculture,” said Elliott Kellner, director of commercial innovation at the Danforth Center. “The selected companies have commercially viable technologies with tremendous potential to deliver environmental, economic, and societal benefits.”

“As one of the top agricultural production lenders in the U.S., Wells Fargo supports scaling clean technologies,” said Robyn Luhning, Chief Sustainability Officer at Wells Fargo. “Through the Wells Fargo IN² program, these companies receive support to commercialize solutions for some of our customers’ most pressing challenges.”

The companies were nominated by members of IN²’s Channel Partner network, consisting of more than 60 business incubators, accelerators, and university programs nationwide. The selected startups underwent an in-depth review by Wells Fargo, NREL, the Danforth Center, and IN²’s expert industry advisory board. The seven companies selected for IN²’s cohort 12 are:

HabiTerre, based in St. Louis, MO, uses remote sensing, process models, and artificial intelligence to create a holistic picture of farm production systems past, present, and future cropland performance, including net greenhouse gas emissions, soil carbon sequestration, crop rotation, management history, yield, water use, and nutrient dynamics. Habiterre will collaborate with Danforth’s Dr. Chris Topp.Impetus Ag, based in St. Louis, MO, is developing next generation crop insect control products with an eco-friendly insect control platform that dramatically enhances the performance of current biological products for topical and transgenic applications. Impetus Ag will collaborate with Danforth’s Drs. Bala Venkata and Nigel Taylor.Impossible Sensing, based in St. Louis, MO, boosts soil management, merging in-situ sensors with regular farming operations. The solutions aim to capture real-time data on nutrients, soil health, and carbon levels, empowering growers to maximize land potential, participate in carbon markets, and improve profitability through sustainable practices. Impossible Sensing will collaborate with Danforth’s Dr. Allison Miller.InnerPlant, based in Davis, CA, develops seed technology to tap into plants’ natural response pathways and code crops to communicate early and specific stresses via easy-to-collect optical signals. The technology helps farmers understand plants’ needs and prescribe the right amount of fertilizer and crop protection products at the optimal time. InnerPlant will collaborate with Danforth’s Dr. Katie Murphy.Mirai Solar, based in Mountain View, CA, uses photovoltaic shade screen technology, the Mirai Screen, to provide greenhouses and smart buildings the means to reduce their operational costs and achieve net-zero energy targets. The Mirai Screen transforms the need for shade into a source for renewable energy by acting as a simple drop-in replacement for conventional passive shade screens. Mirai Solar will collaborate with Danforth’s Dr. Ru Zhang.Running Tide, based in Portland, ME, is on a mission to restore ocean health, rebalance the carbon cycle, and revitalize coastal communities. The company designs and develops integrated software and hardware systems, including monitoring and measurement capabilities, to deploy nature-based interventions that remove carbon, combat ocean acidification, and increase the scientific understanding of ocean ecosystems. Running Tide will collaborate with Danforth’s Drs. Noah Fahlgren and Malia Gehan.Sentinel Fertigation, based in Lincoln, NE, leverages remote sensing and geospatial data to empower precision nitrogen management, particularly for farmers who fertigate. Sentinel’s N-Time software program helps farmers improve nitrogen use efficiency by 23% and save 42 pounds of nitrogen per acre on average. Sentinel Fertigation will collaborate with Dr. Elliott Kellner to connect with a broad set of research teams across the cohort’s ecosystem.

With the addition of these seven companies, IN²’s total portfolio now includes 72 companies, including 26 sustainable agriculture startups. Since joining the IN² program, portfolio companies have raised more than $1.8 billion in external follow-on funding—equivalent to an average of more than $97 for every $1 awarded by Wells Fargo through IN².

About the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN²) 
The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN²) is a $50 million technology incubator and platform funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation. Co-administered by and housed at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, IN²’s mission is to speed the path to market for early-stage, clean-technology entrepreneurs. Launched in 2014 with an initial focus on supporting scalable solutions to reduce the energy impact of commercial buildings, IN² has since expanded its focus to advance technologies that address the sustainable production of agriculture and housing affordability. For more information, visit in2ecosystem.com.

About the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center 
Founded in 1998, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is a not-for-profit research institute with a mission to improve the human condition through plant science. Research, education and outreach aim to have impact at the nexus of food security and the environment, and position the St. Louis region as a world center for plant science. The Center’s work is funded through competitive grants from many sources, including the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and through the generosity of individual, corporate, and foundation donors. Follow us on Twitter at @DanforthCenter.

Media Contact 
Camille Cater 
Antenna Group 
nrel@antennagroup.com

LOUISVILLE, Ky., July 11, 2023 /3BL/ – Today, Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM) released its annual Global Citizenship & Sustainability Report, highlighting the Company’s progress on key issues that include less carbon, better packaging and more equality. The Company has a long history of strategic investment when it comes to the socially responsible growth, risk management and sustainable stewardship of its three priority pillars of People, Food and Planet, what Yum! calls its Recipe for Good Growth. Yum!’s Recipe for Good Growth strategy is grounded in the idea that its business will only endure if its brands are inclusive, sustainable and reflective of evolving employee, franchisee and other stakeholder needs.

“When we harness the collective power of Good and Growth together, we find they become mutually reinforcing and are capable of creating benefits for the people and communities we serve,” said Yum! Brands CEO David Gibbs. “Our brands continue to make investments in good growth like providing career pathways to more than a million restaurant team members worldwide, constructing and operating new energy efficient restaurants, and exploring innovations for sustainable packaging.”

The report reflects key areas of work announced since Yum!’s last published report in July 2022. It showcases progress against the Company’s existing public commitments and covers its citizenship and sustainability strategy. Because of its continued progress and transparent disclosure, Yum! Brands was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America for the sixth consecutive year, included on Newsweek’s ranking of America’s Most Responsible Companies in 2022 and listed on the 2023 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index.

“I’m incredibly proud of the sustainability strategy that’s in place for our global organization as we further integrate our efforts into core operations,” said Jon Hixson, Yum! Brands Chief Sustainability Officer & Vice President of Government Affairs. “As we continue making progress, we’re collaborating closely with our teams, franchisees, suppliers, industry and NGO partners to find solutions that help all.”

Highlights from Yum!’s new Global Citizenship & Sustainability Report include:

People

Continued on path to achieve gender parity in leadership roles by 2030, in alignment with Paradigm for Parity®, with 43% of global leadership roles held by women in 2022.Among OneTen Coalition’s highest-performing partners in terms of the number of new hires and promotions at company-owned stores and corporate offices.Funded and activated more than 30 social impact programs in 11 countries through Yum!’s Unlocking Opportunity Initiative.KFC launched the Next Generation of Women Program to accelerate women’s professional development and retention.Taco Bell Business School, a six-week program designed to give those interested in becoming restaurant leaders a head start, completed its fourth cohort since launching in 2022.The Habit Burger Grill’s long-term partnership with No Kid Hungry gives guests the option of rounding up their bills to support the nonprofit – raising $270,000 in the fourth quarter of 2022 alone.

Food

On track toward commitment to transition to 100% cage-free eggs for 25,000 restaurants by 2026, including the U.S., Western Europe and other leading markets, across all brands and for all menu items and ingredients.KFC rolled out its global chicken welfare platform and published chicken welfare reports for both the U.S. and Western Europe.Pizza Hut continues to make progress on plant-based offerings worldwide, with plant-based protein toppings available in 17 countries and vegan cheeses available in Europe.Taco Bell continues to invest in research and sector engagements within the beef supply chain to reduce the use of antibiotics important to human health in its U.S. and Canada beef sourcing.

Planet

Continued to make progress against science-based targets that include achieving a 57% absolute reduction in corporate restaurants and offices (Scope 1 & 2) compared to 2019, and a 25% reduction in per-restaurant emissions in franchise restaurants (Scope 3) compared to 2019.Conducted a global renewable energy study covering more than 10 countries and a majority of its electricity emissions to support progress on Yum!’s climate transition roadmap.Published harmonized, cross brand packaging policy to help drive focus on packaging priorities.Pizza Hut reached its goal of sourcing 50% of the dairy used to make its pizza cheese in the U.S. from dairy farms enrolled in an environmental stewardship program — two years ahead of schedule.Taco Bell announced a partnership with Cargill and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to address the environmental impacts of cattle grazing.

For more information and to view Yum! Brands’ new Global Citizenship & Sustainability Report visit www.yum.com/citizenship.

About Yum! Brands, Inc. 
Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, Kentucky, and its subsidiaries franchise or operate a system of over 55,000 restaurants in more than 155 countries and territories under the Company’s concepts – KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and the Habit Burger Grill. The Company’s KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut brands are global leaders of the chicken, Mexican-style food, and pizza categories, respectively. The Habit Burger Grill is a fast casual restaurant concept specializing in made-to-order chargrilled burgers, sandwiches and more. In 2023, the KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut brands were ranked in the top five of Entrepreneur’s Top Global Franchises Ranking. In addition, in 2023 Yum! Brands was included on the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index; Forbes’ list of America’s Best Employers for Diversity; and Newsweek’s lists recognizing America’s Most Responsible Companies, America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity and America’s Greatest Workplaces for Women. In 2022, the Company was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America.

WALTHAM, Mass., July 11, 2023 /3BL/ – As part of its commitment to deliver clean energy solutions that benefit the long-term needs of customers and communities, National Grid recently launched its first-ever solar grazing pilot at two company-owned solar sites in Attleboro, Massachusetts.

The pilot – in partnership with Solar Shepherd, a Massachusetts-based company founded by a third-generation rancher – combines renewable energy and agriculture by introducing sheep to feed on the plentiful grasses that grow around ground-mounted solar panels, providing a sustainable form of vegetation control.

The innovative partnership was the focus of a segment by CBS Saturday Morning that aired July 8. Steve Woerner, President, National Grid – New England, joined co-host Dana Jacobson in Attleboro to discuss National Grid’s growing relationship with solar grazing and how the company is creating clean energy solutions that work for everyone.

Watch the CBS Saturday Morning segment on solar grazing.

“The energy transition goes beyond investing in infrastructure—it’s also about investing in the people we serve every day,” said Woerner. “National Grid recognizes that we have an important role to play in driving the clean energy economy and providing meaningful opportunities to local businesses. Our new solar grazing partnership exemplifies how we continue to lead the way toward an equitable clean energy transition in the Northeast.”

Strengthening Community Roots in Massachusetts

The practice of harnessing grazing livestock as natural groundskeepers is a variation of agrivoltaics, described by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the use of land for both agriculture and solar photovoltaic energy generation. The pilot launched in May 2023 with an aim to replace traditional landscaping methods with a cleaner solution.

“Keeping environmental stewardship and thoughtful planning at the center of our work, solar grazing is a new way for our team to deliver for customers,” said Arnaldo Arnal, Lead Product Developer for Solar and Storage, National Grid. “Grazing sheep reduce the need for herbicides, pesticides, and gas-powered lawnmowers, cutting down on carbon emissions and noise pollution at solar sites and the surrounding community. Over time, the sheep’s natural fertilizer has the potential to boost soil biodiversity and enhance carbon sequestration on company land.”

The practice also adds an additional purpose to large-scale solar site locations, supporting agricultural production and local Massachusetts ranchers as they adapt and advance their businesses.

“Solar grazing has allowed for a meaningful expansion of our local Massachusetts farm, while assisting in decarbonizing the grid,” said Daniel Finnegan, Founder of Solar Shepherd. “Finding a partner in National Grid that cares about the communities in which it operates – that seeks ways to reduce fossil fuel use, improve ecosystems, protect water sources, and maintain economic efficiency – has been critical to our success.”

Delivering Resilient and Reliable Clean Energy

Massachusetts leads the region in solar deployment, with National Grid having connected nearly 2 gigawatts of solar to the system, more than any other utility in New England. And, according to a recent study from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, the state has enough suitable land to double the required amount of solar capacity to meet its decarbonization goals by 2050.

National Grid has taken significant measures to expand Massachusetts’ renewable energy infrastructure through its long-running solar programs, leading research efforts to demonstrate how large-scale solar energy facilities can increase the resiliency of the electric system in communities across the Commonwealth. In addition, the company is focused on readying the grid for additional capacity by making investments to accelerate the interconnection of more clean energy resources.

The company currently owns and operates 30 solar sites in Massachusetts, including its solar grazing locations in Attleboro, which collectively comprise 5,000 panels spanning 10 acres of land. The two sites inject a total of 1600 kW into the grid, providing load relief to a nearby substation during peak summer days.

The next phase of the solar program will center on projects developed to increase resiliency for environmental justice communities statewide. National Grid expects to introduce grazing sheep to other sites as its solar portfolio expands.

About National Grid

National Grid (NYSE: NGG) is an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people through our networks in New York and Massachusetts. National Grid is focused on building a path to a more affordable, reliable clean energy future through our fossil-free vision. National Grid is transforming our electricity and natural gas networks with smarter, cleaner, and more resilient energy solutions to meet the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

For more information, please visit our website, follow us on Twitter, watch us on YouTube, like us on Facebook and find our photos on Instagram.

Media Contacts

Emily Demarest 
Massachusetts 
(781) 907-3980 
Email

Michael Dalo 
Massachusetts 
(781) 907-3980 
Email

Schneider Electric

The demand for metals and minerals is increasing as they become vital to constructing renewable generation sources. Here’s how we can improve resource utilization, while increasing profits.

By Juan Manuel Pardal

How global metals and mining can trim GHG emissions while boosting throughput and profits

Metals and minerals are the backbones of our renewable energy transition, and their demand is increasing. They are vital to constructing renewable generation sources like solar panels and wind turbines and crucial ingredients in energy storage mediums such as the batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs).

Projections indicate that demand for key minerals and metals will expand exponentially with the continued development of renewable energy technologies. And it’s not only exotic metals like lithium or rare earth elements (REEs) experiencing supercharged demand, even common metals such as copper and aluminum have an outsized role to play in the renewable energy journey. As such, it is impossible to overstate how important the Mining, Minerals, and Metals industry will be in helping countries worldwide achieve their net-zero goals.

Download the Frost & Sullivan report: “A New Age for Metals and Minerals Processing”

Pressure on the industry to supply much-needed raw materials to support surging clean energy markets is only forecast to grow. Frost & Sullivan’s research estimates that annual investments in renewable energy for North America will more than double over the decade, rising from $28 billion in 2021 to more than $58 billion by 2030. The company also predicts that yearly global investments in renewable energy sources will rise to $500 billion in the same period. These supplies include wind, solar, geothermal, and sustainable bioenergy, with solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind dominating the mix.

The metal-intensive, net-zero economy is a climate paradox

It is estimated that the sector currently contributes as much as 7% of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. But the same clean energy forces that today are boosting the demand for metals are simultaneously challenging the industry to transition to cleaner technologies and develop climate strategies while reducing its CO2 footprint.

This critical mass of economic, environmental, and regulatory pressures motivates industry players to investigate options for increasing operational sustainability specially when demand for metals skyrockets, extraction becomes increasingly difficult, expensive, resource-intensive, and polluting as the most concentrated resources are mined, and ore quality deteriorates.

Delay is not a sound business strategy, as organizations that fail to establish a plan to achieve GHG reduction and efficiency benchmarks could see their social license and future value severely impacted.

Efficient, sustainable, and profitable mining operations start with improved resource utilization

Becoming a sustainable organization often involves developing fully integrated operational strategies to create a robust, resilient business. Still, many organizations are unsure of what specific investments to make or where to start. Improving resource utilization to decrease their environmental footprint is an excellent place to start. Specific initiatives should include:

Reducing energy intensity and GHG emissions – with the metal industry constituting up to 12% of global industrial sector energy use, largely from high carbon sources, significant emissions result from energy-intensive mining and processing activities. Meaningful reductions can be achieved by using renewable energy sources wherever possible, upgrading to more efficient equipment, and accelerating digital/smart plant initiatives with low-cost, high-functionality sensors and analytics software better to control the mine and processing plant’s operational efficiency.Cutting water use and pollution – mining often requires large volumes of water to sustain operations, causing water depletion and pollution. Deploying tools and technologies that further conserve, reuse, and improve treatment regimens can reduce water and energy use.Lowering waste, contamination, and air pollution – more efficient/effective plant processes can substantially trim air and land pollution from particulate and gaseous emissions.

The business case for improving resource utilization is clear, but positive action can also mitigate a major risk – maintaining their license to operate (LTO). Transcending simply the legal right to operate, LTO includes the acceptance of business practices by every stakeholder in the value chain partners and financial, governmental, and public partners.

How to reduce emissions and grow profits while creating business and operational resilience

Research from Frost & Sullivan reveals that a digital revolution is required to improve resource utilization and power the next generation of metals and minerals processing. In their report “A New Age for Metals and Minerals Processing,” they suggest that within a decade, the industry’s digital transformation could reduce carbon emissions by more than 600 million tons while increasing profits by 9%, adding more than $320 billion in industry value. However, even though the metals and mining industry is increasingly adopting sensors and tracking equipment to optimize assets, measure and improve performance, and reduce risks, it still lags behind many others. It is at least 30% less “digitally mature.”

One proposed solution is to springboard MMM sustainability to pending, must-have levels with input from advanced process automation tools such as distributed control systems (DCS) combined with optimization applications and by moving to a digitalized “system of systems,” known as Unified Operations. Enabling this end-to-end visibility, planning, workforce management, predictive maintenance, and scheduling in mining operations will empower organizations to significantly increase efficiencies, reduce errors, and improve profits from the mine to the plant and through distribution.

Chose a partner with a record of success and growth

Using unified digital solutions to optimize an organization’s processes can yield higher throughputs and reduce costs, improving revenues and profits. The report affirms that partnering with an advanced DCS provider is vital to attaining those improvements while realizing the following benefits:

Improved LTO, ESG, and attained business goals – by developing advanced control strategies, advanced DCS providers can help organizations monitor real-time GHG emissions, identify process improvements to reduce emissions, energy, and water use, and attain greater productivity from existing equipment.Expanded collaboration and best practices – a cutting-edge DCS provider can leverage expertise from across the industry, with regulators and research organizations, to promote and improve the advantages of open standards, technological breakthroughs, and cybersecurity advances, as well as integrate best practices from complementary sectors and cross-industry organizations with similar goals, such as UniversalAutomation.org.Superior workforce management and safety – by helping optimize skillsets and resources and combining control strategies and operations, a leading DCS provider can enable proper control in changing environments, thereby speeding workplace safety, alerts, and productivity improvements.

Sustainability through technical innovation

Digital and automation technologies are currently available to help organizations across the sector meet increasing metal demand and achieve expanding sustainability goals. “A New Age for Metals and Minerals Processing” examines in detail the critical juncture the metals and mining are at today and how the renewable energy revolution, together with intelligent, data-driven solutions, will create resilient and sustainable industry players in the decades ahead, download it here.

Originally published in Owens Corning’s 2022 Sustainability Report

As part of the Gold Award-winning team in Taloja, India, Prasad Bodas has brought his passion for energy conservation to Owens Corning, and he has been instrumental in helping the facility achieve its aspirations for energy reduction. After spending four years at our facility in Liversedge, U.K., Prasad returned to Taloja to serve as an energy leader at the plant. In addition to ensuring that his facility is using energy efficiently, Prasad also encourages people to take steps to reduce energy at home as well — by setting refrigerators to 5° C and air conditioners to 24° C, people everywhere can make a real difference. Prasad has a great deal to share about the Taloja team’s progress, as well as the innovative ways that Owens Corning is driving energy efficiency.

”To be sustainable, we need to reduce energy consumption to improve our productivity and save our lovely planet.“

On what sets Owens Corning apart in energy conservation

We have formed a team of nearly 50 people from different departments. We conduct meetings every month and give updates on our progress. People float their ideas for energy conservation, and we take action initially on low-hanging fruits. For bigger projects, we can apply for capital expenditure (CapEx) funding. That is something that is unique about Owens Corning’s approach to energy. We offer team members freedom of expression, and we allow for the global sharing of ideas, which we can adapt as necessary.

On the ways that Taloja implements their energy strategies 

Owens Corning believes in reducing energy consumption by operationalizing many innovative ideas. As energy covers nearly 25% to 30% of manufacturing cost, any reduction in energy consumption can help our plant reduce manufacturing costs and improve productivity. We sponsor a number of events throughout the year that help us stay systematically focused on energy conservation. The energy contest is one example, and we also host an Energy Week event that uses quizzes and idea-generation discussions to raise awareness of energy issues throughout the plant. On a day-to-day basis, we conduct a lot of Kaizens, in which we look for opportunities to achieve continuous improvement in our energy use.

On energy projects that are having a real impact

As a team, we have conducted many low-cost and no-cost projects. Another very important project involves recovering waste heat from three of our furnace stacks. Waste heat here is recovered in the form of hot air, which is taken to the drying ovens. This project has enabled us to drastically reduce the amount of energy required to operate the drying ovens, and it will lead to substantial savings as well. As we look ahead, we recognize that for every construction of a new melter — or a rebuild of an old one — we must have a waste heat recovery project consideration, so that we can begin realizing energy savings from the word “go.”

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