More from Energy Day: Ren Energy and Google Cloud are mapping supply chains to convert them to renewables

Editor's note: At Google Cloud we’re working with global organizations to help them use technology to build a more sustainable future. During the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP27, representatives from countries and organizations around the world — including Google Cloud — gathered in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from November 7 - 18, 2022 for the latest round of climate talks. Check here for perspectives from onsite, thoughts from Google experts and customers, curated content and announcements. Or catch the event for yourself on Youtube.

Some corporations have the energy needs and emissions the size of countries. To move the needle on climate change, it’s clear that these organizations must transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. 

The good news is that many corporations have committed to reach carbon neutrality within the next decade. But they face significant challenges in reaching net zero: They often have supply chains that stretch across dozens of countries and consist of thousands of facilities, each with a unique energy market. Structuring renewable energy contracts is nuanced, and many companies lack the resources or knowledge to create them. And with potential regulation of scope 3 emissions, companies are urgently looking to address any shortfalls.

Ren enables companies with global supply chains to source the cleanest energy possible. The Ren Platform solves the complex financial, technical, and logistical challenges associated with sourcing renewable energy globally. This unlocks cost savings and the ability to meet carbon commitments on time.

To empower corporations to decarbonize their scope 3 emissions, Ren created new tools to help customers finance renewable energy projects. It is much more viable for corporations to go in on large renewable energy deals when there are multiple buyers, especially when they are sourcing energy in multiple locations to cover portions of their supply chain. Ren’s Portfolio Engine generates logical groupings of energy-consuming facilities to highlight the potential energy needs in a particular location. This helps match consumers to other consumers, and then matches developers to a group of consumers that could invest in renewable energy PPAs. These portfolios can be created for a mix of renewable solutions, including joint Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and rooftop solar. By generating RFPs in the 250MW+ range, renewables adoption gets much easier, cheaper, and faster.

Although renewable energy production is growing, companies can’t begin to transition to renewables until they understand their current energy consumption and emissions. Historically, corporations could spend time and effort requesting utility bills from suppliers — which was an immense challenge for global corporations with hundreds or thousands of individual suppliers. Now, through our partnership with Google Cloud, we are able to accelerate that process to a matter of days. By utilizing remote sensing powered by Google Earth Engine, we are able to understand details such as building size and type. With the help of partners like Arbor, we are then able to generate highly accurate emissions estimates based on those models. This joint solution accelerates exponentially the time it takes to source renewables.

As more of our customers invest in renewable energy globally, we see benefits beyond decarbonization. The factories, warehouses, and distribution centers that largely make up corporate supply chains are historically located in underserved and underdeveloped areas of the world. The transition to renewables in these regions can provide new jobs and cleaner and more reliable energy infrastructure to these communities.

With 2030 right around the corner, and such a massive problem in front of us, there is truly no time to waste. We’re excited to partner with Google Cloud, and deliver the tools, datasets and support for organizations who want to decarbonize their global supply chains, today.