T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R C A P TA I N S O F I N D U S T R Y
ENERGY LEADERS TODAY www.energyleaderstoday.com
Energy Acuity
This online company covers the renewable and clean energy technology sectors of power generation, power architecture and transportation, tracking over 17,000 projects globally.
T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R C A P TA I N S O F I N D U S T RY
ENERGY LEADERS TODAY
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oZ WORLD MEDIA, LLC 1330 New Hampshire Avenue Suite B1 Washington D.C. 20036 www.energyleaderstoday.com Energy Leaders Today is a quarterly B2B trade journal that services the energy industry in geothermal, hydroelectric, gas, solar, wind, fuel cell and new tecnhologies. CLT has a readership of 100,000 C-Level executives within the energy industry. We do not accept subscription requests from the general public, however an abbreviated version is available on our website.
corporate profile | technology
EnergyAcuity research and business development by Rachel Goldberg
What if you had access to a global online database with powerful search capabilities that allowed you to navigate through mission critical intelligence on alternative energy companies, projects and executives in renewable energy and clean technology? And with the touch of a finger you can select criteria based on specific technologies and sectors? Energy Acuity, a distinctive company with a unique business model provides just that. Energy Acuity is an online subscription-based research and business development tool that covers the renewable energy and clean technology sectors of power generation, power architecture and transportation. It currently tracks over 17,000 projects globally. Energy Acuity combines the latest news, data, research and analysis to provide subscribers insight into all sectors of the renewable energy and clean technology industries. Customers have access to database information on over 4,000 renewable energy companies and service providers, and over 100,000 clean technology professionals. The database enables business managers at all levels in an organization to improve their research efforts, build their business and compete successfully in the renewable energy and clean technology industries. Located in Denver, CO, Energy Acuity is an international company with clients in North America, Europe and Asia, and has become one of the fastest-growing businesses in the renewable energy market research sector in less than four years of operation. Its list of clients reflects a broad range of companies in the business sector that include corporations, utility companies, law and investment firms, Public Relations and accounting firms, and consultants. Brian Graff is the president and founder 4 Energy Leaders Today
1 at Energy Acuity and is a graduate of the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business where he received an MBA and Boston College. “About four years ago I started looking into opportunities within the renewable industry market and what those opportunities might look like,” said Graff. “I found a tremendous amount of information, but there wasn’t a good way to capture it and use it for good business
opportunities. So that was the genesis of Energy Acuity.” Graff ’s idea was to take the information and present it in a format that would enhanceacompany’sbusinessdevelopment and assist them to build partnerships and better utilize their current resources. The Company then became a Web-based solution for businesses to access market research, increase sales productivity and optimize business analysis.
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The GeoAnayltics tool is an interactive map that enables users to visualize project capacity worldwide. Users can manipulate search criteria to target areas based on technology, development stage and region. “Our depth of coverage on projects, company details, and executives is unique,” he said. “The information is actionable enabling companies to leverage Energy Acuity for business development, strategic initiatives, client relations, and competitor analysis.” Energy Acuity’s current product focuses on power generation, solar, wind, biomass, geothermal and other renewable technologies. “What we are known for in the marketplace is the depth of coverage that we have on projects,” Graff explained. “We provide company details, requests for proposals and information on executives.” Their subscribers range from companies within the industry to manufacturers, developers and suppliers to the industry. Graff says that the service allows clients to really understand what is going on in the marketplace, who the key decisionmakers are and who they need to be reaching out to in order 6 Energy Leaders Today
to make their current efforts more fruitful. “This increases their chances of success, especially as things are quickly changing in policy and financing within the industry,” he said. So, how does the company find all this information? They employ a team of research analysts who scour news sources, talk to companies and research SEC and other government filing to place in the database. The data is searchable and sortable, and allows a subscriber to seek out a certain type of project and find the information they need to support it. Graff explained that the database is intuitive and userfriendly, “but if a user needs additional help or information, our team of client relationship managers and our analyst team will bend over backwards to help our clients find exactly the information that they need. Energy Acuity views their relationship with clients as a partnership. While businesses are considering using the database
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technology | corporate profile
services, client relationship managers work with them to understand their business needs and to demonstrate use of the database. “Once on board, our team also works with new clients to assess their needs,” he said. “If something is missing, we figure out how we roll that in. We look at it as a collaborative relationship and we work with them to make their business successful and to provide a higher-value service for them.” Typically, clients use Energy Acuity for business development, strategic analysis, and competitive intelligence. Graff further explained that clients use the database to find up-to-date information on the industry, to search available RFPs and to develop partnerships or alliances. “Also in this current market, getting a project financed and completed is paramount,” Graff said. “Knowing who those people who have encountered success and whether they are a developer or supplier is key.” A big challenge for the company is that the industry changes so quickly and it is growing so rapidly that they must work constantly to stay ahead of the curve. “We must provide information that is actual in nature that clients can use to further their business development opportunities,” Graff said. “We have a solid and strong tool that is valuable to our subscribers. We have been successful at getting a lot of new customers on board because of that.” According to Graff, the company is angel-financed. “We have been in business for three-and-a-half years and
have grown rapidly over that time,” he said, explaining that they have brought on additional clients through marketing efforts and continually reaching out to new companies. “We have a sales group that reaches out to businesses within the industry,” he said. “Our team attends approximately a dozen industry conferences each year and others who have used Energy Acuity at their previous companies become clients in their new workplaces.” Graff ’s role in the company has changed over time. “Initially, I built the database and formed what it looks like,” he added. “As the company has grown to over 30 employees, my time is now spent on product development, working with clients, and communicating with our development team and analysts to identify new ways to better assist our clients.” Graff pointed out that a big challenge to the industry has been the economy. “Once financing stopped, companies undertaking largescale, multimillion dollar projects, especially on the utility side, and that were looking for financial providers experienced the industry slow down,” he said. “It has made it more difficult to get projects financed by tax-equity investors.” However, he said that what was a huge challenge for the industry also became an opportunity for the Company. “We have been able to identify which projects are getting financed and which companies are getting projects to move forward. Clients have utilized our database to
1. From the left, Andy Hilleary and Maxwell Ryan research global project details to build out the Project Intelligence piece of the Power database. 2. Energy Acuity’s data team sorts through hundreds of news releases each day to ensure our subscribers get the most up-todate information possible. 3. Energy Acuity’s President, Brian Graff (center), works closely with Andrew Martin (left) and Ray Mistry (right) of the development team for the new product rollout to feature smart grid developments. All photos courtesy of Energy Acuity.
increase their success of getting their projects up and running,” Graff explained. Graff noted that the renewable energy industry is very focused on understanding energy policy. “With no definition it has been a real challenge,” he said. “From a federal level, will it be cap-and-trade or what is that going to look like? Any time there is an uncertainty in that market it is more challenging to get longer-term agreements in place because firms are not certain what is going to be needed.” As to the future of the renewable energy market, Graff he thinks that it “is going be growing very, very quickly in the next 20 years.” “I don’t foresee us as a country moving to 100 percent renewables,” he continued. “With everything, there are limitations and benefits to all different sorts of technologies. So I think it will be important for the reliability of the power grid to have a number of different Summer 2010 7
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4. Energy Acuity’s soon-to-be-released Grid database will feature transmission, smart grid, and demand reduction developments.
options in place and renewable energy and clean technology will be a very important part of that. But it won’t be the sole piece of it.” In terms of future plans for Energy Acuity, Graff said that they are launching the Energy Acuity Grid product in the fall. “We will track company details for firms involved in smart grid, transmission upgrades, energy storage energy efficiency, demand reduction and electrical vehicles,” he said. “Further, we will be tracking project details for smart grid, transmission, energy storage, energy efficiency and demand reduction projects. One
other piece we are really excited about in our Grid product is the amount of information we are capturing on utilities which are a critical component to the energy grid.” Graff explained that this is important to their clients because, “This market is growing and changing rapidly and represents and enormous opportunity for companies that can capitalize on this, including which firms represent business development or alliance/ partnership opportunities and what the activity level by region and utility looks like today as well three to five years out.” “We will continue to grow our Power
product and our Grid product over the next year and we have ideas of other products we are going to roll out in the fall of 2011,” he said. Graff said that the Company’s continuous goal is to provide information that is actionable and timely to their customers. “There’s lots of information in this marketplace that we have harnessed and are looking to harness in the future,” Graff said. “We want to make sure we are keeping our customers on the leading edge of industry information, so they can continue to grow their business and be successful in their endeavors.” ELT
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ARMSTRONG TEASDALE
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8 Energy Leaders Today
T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R C A P TA I N S O F I N D U S T R Y
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