EBI News for June 22, 2021- Safety Management Software Market Growth
EBI News for June 22, 2021- The following news section contains the latest stories for the environmental industry. Including, news in the growth of the safety management software market, acquisitions, and more!
U.S. solar has record-setting Q1 2021
The United States installed 5 gigawatts (GWdc) of solar PV capacity in Q1 2021 to reach 102.8 GWdc of total installed capacity, enough to power 18.6 million American homes, according to the U.S. Solar Market Insight Q2 2021 report released by the Solar Energy Industries Assn. (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie. Solar accounted for 58% of all new electric capacity additions in Q1, representing a new Q1 record and a 46% increase over Q1 2020. The utility-scale sector accounted for the majority of installations while residential solar sales saw an 11% increase over the same period last year. The commercial sector grew by 19% from Q1 2020, and the community solar sector declined 15%. The report also calls attention to rising costs in the solar industry. “Demand for solar power continues to grow, but attention is now turning to supply chain constraints, which have heightened since the latter half of 2020,” said Michelle Davis, principal analyst and lead author of the report.
Weston Solutions announces executive management changes
Employee-owned Weston Solutions Inc. (West Chester, Pa.) announced two executive management changes: Lawrence (Larry) J. Bove, currently the firm’s chief operating officer (COO), has been appointed president and chief executive officer (CEO) effective January 1, 2022. As COO, he led Weston through a series of consolidations, including nationalizing the technical resources group, and was integral in the overall financial turnaround of the company. Mr. Bove will assume the role from Alan J. Solow, who announced his plans to retire as CEO and will become chairman of the board effective January 1, 2022. The appointments complete a planned succession allowing for a smooth transition over the course of the next six months, the company reported. Weston Solutions is a national environmental and infrastructure support services firm with annual gross sales approaching $500 million. Roy F. Weston founded the company in 1957.
Safety management software market to reach $1.7 billion
The safety management software market will reach $1.7 billion in 2026, according to independent research firm Verdantix (London, UK). The forecasted compound annual growth rate of 12.1% will be driven by software vendors increasingly targeting a wider portion of the potential market by catering to small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as growing stakeholder expectations and the impact of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors raising safety management standards beyond simply meeting compliance. Vendors positioned to benefit from this growth include safety management software firms such as Alcumus, Benchmark ESG, Cority, Dakota Software, Ideagen, Intelex, IsoMetrix, KPA, SAI Global, and Wesustain.
WGA establishes environmental service company
WGA Consulting Engineers (Houston) has founded WGA Environmental LLC and appointed Richard Fontenot as president of the newly formed entity. Fontenot is a national environmental and regulatory consulting professional with extensive experience in the energy and land development markets. WGA Environmental will provide comprehensive strategies for clients including federal and state environmental assessments and grant negotiations; real estate due diligence and remediation; and services related to natural and cultural resources, air quality and industrial site development permitting and compliance. WGA Consulting has increased its footprint since 2019 by opening offices in San Antonio and The Woodlands, Texas.
UES acquires McGinley & Associates, strengthens footprint in the West
National infrastructure company Universal Engineering Sciences (UES, Orlando, Fla.) has acquired McGinley & Associates (Reno, Nev.), an environmental engineering and consulting firm with approximately 40 environmental engineers, geologists, scientists, and environmental field technicians in Reno and Las Vegas. McGinley & Associates provides services throughout the Western United States and has supported some of Nevada’s largest site remediation projects. It is also involved in mining and exploration projects, as well as industrial, manufacturing operations and renewable energy projects. Privately held UES recently committed to more than tripling in size from approximately $300 million to $1 billion in revenues through strategic acquisition and organic growth.
ICF wins $34 million global change research contract
NASA has awarded ICF (Fairfax, Va.) a re-compete contract to provide technical and administrative support to the U.S. Global Change Research Program National Coordination Office. The contract is valued up to $34 million with a term of five years. ICF will help integrate and coordinate research, assessments, education and communications across 13 departments and agencies. The Program addresses not only climate change but also land productivity, water resources, atmospheric chemistry and ecological systems. ICF will also work on the Fifth National Climate Assessment, having contributed to the Fourth National Climate Assessment released in 2018.
Charles Taylor launches U.S. environmental services division
Global insurance services and claims solutions provider Charles Taylor (London, UK) is launching a new U.S.-based division focused on pre-risk and post-loss environmental services. Charles Taylor (CT) Environmental Technical Services will provide environmental specialty services to clients throughout the United States from its location in California. The division’s services will include asbestos, lead, mold, bacteria, sewage, and soot assessments, as well as indoor air quality testing. Charles Taylor serves clients across the property and casualty, natural resources, marine, and aviation markets.
120Water to provide early-warning Covid monitoring
120Water (Indianapolis, Ind.) has been selected to conduct a statewide Covid-19 wastewater surveillance program in partnership with the Illinois Department of Public Health and Discovery Partners Institute. The year-long initiative will provide county-level data providing early warnings of any re-emerging Covid-19 outbreaks statewide. Using cloud based software and digital sampling kits, monitoring will include twice-per-week sampling at water treatment facilities, training and logistical support for treatment facility staff and coordination with testing laboratories.
GE Renewable Energy to supply onshore wind turbines in India
GE Renewable Energy (Paris, France) has been selected by Continuum Green Energy India Pvt. Ltd. (Mumbai, India) to supply, install and commission 55 sets of its 2.7-132 onshore wind turbines for a 148.5 MW wind farm in Gujarat, India. The farm will produce enough green energy to power 125,000 households. GE’s 2.7-132 wind turbine has been popular in India due to its industry-leading performance at India’s low wind speeds. Product design primarily will be at GE’s Technology Center in Bengaluru; blades and assembly will also be done at GE facilities in India. GE Renewable Energy is a $15.7 billion business.
RSK acquires Minerex Environmental
RSK (Helsby, UK) has acquired Minerex Environmental Ltd. (Dublin, Ireland), marking RSK’s ninth acquisition of its 2021/2022 financial year. Founded in 1994, Minerex has a team of 18 professional geologists, hydrogeologists, environmental scientists and environmental engineers specializing in groundwater, dewatering, water treatment and drainage, contaminated land assessments, soil classifications and dig plans, impact studies, and environmental monitoring and compliance. The announcement follows RSK’s acquisitions of Irish firms Nicholas O’Dwyer, an engineering and environmental consultancy, and Smith & Kennedy Architects in March 2020 and April 2021, respectively.
Diode Ventures announces financial close of first greenfield utility-scale solar PV project
Diode Ventures, a Black & Veatch company (Overland Park, Kansas) that develops global infrastructure projects, has reached financial close on the Grizzly Ridge Solar Project, a nearly 140-megawatt (MW) utility-scale solar field in Hamilton County, Texas. The project was co-developed with RKB Energy LLC. “Grizzly Ridge is one of the first utility-scale solar projects that Diode developed from the ground up, marking a significant milestone for the company when it comes to pure greenfield development projects,” said Brad Hardin, president of Diode. Diode is in discussions to add an on-site battery energy storage system to the project. In Texas favorable economics, regulatory support and a streamlined permitting process are driving significant growth in solar energy development, B&V noted.
TRC acquires Quatric, expanding digital capabilities for utilities
TRC Companies (Windsor, Conn.) announced expansion of its digital capabilities with the acquisition of Quatric (Montreal, QC and Quincy, Mass.), a firm that provides engineering services and technology solutions to electric and gas utilities. Quatric will boost TRC’s support for clients in areas such as the selection and deployment of SCADA, advanced distribution management systems, energy management systems, distribution automation, and grid modernization. “TRC and Quatric share the same view and vision for the importance of digital technology and how it will continue to transform our clients and their operations,” said Ryan Renner, president of Digital Solutions at TRC.
Honeywell to create portable device that extracts drinking water from air
A team led by Honeywell (Charlotte, N.C.) has been awarded a contract from the DOD’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a portable device that extracts drinking water from surrounding air. The device, which weighs about five pounds, is designed to provide approximately five to seven liters of water per day. It uses a new metal-organic framework (MOF) material that extracts water from the surrounding air, working similarly to silica gel packets found in new shoes or clothing. NuMat Technologies and Northwestern University have been selected by Honeywell to develop the new water-absorbing MOF, which will be the key enabler behind the device.
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