During this economic cycle, energy efficiency is the name of the game. 2009 Green IT Report released last week by Symantec shows that even 45 % of firms globally are adopting green budgets. The companies, which can offer energy efficiency solutions with quick paybacks in terms of cost-savings attract customers (and investors) right now. Last Friday, only 18 month energy and environmental management software startup Hara raised USD 6 million from Kleiner Perkins. Energy efficiency technologies can reduce both costs and carbon emissions and also, these technologies are less capital intensive and can be brought to market quite rapidly. ICT and internet industry like Intel, IBM, Cisco and Google has seized the energy as a significant revenue opportunity for some time. For instance, Google’s three step approach to being carbon neutral includes in-house efficiency programs, the actions for producing electricity (cheaper than coal) through renewable energy ( RE<C ) and finally, investments in Carbon Offset projects. As a part of efficient computing, Google introduces CO2 emissions of some everyday activities and compared them to Google searches (a link).
Ravensoft launched in 2007 Green Snapper (1.2), which can provide centralized control and monitoring of workstations’ energy consumption even up to 50 %. According to Chairman Petri I Salonen, the USP of Green Snapper are save energy, save the environment and money. The team with four people has achieved the point, where sales is taking of nicely. Green Snapper is self-funded with a Tekes loan.
The Green Snapper business model is based on product sales and energy savings. Ravensoft can promise ROI from the savings in electricity bill in 6 months. Green Snapper collects data about workstations’ energy consuming and the customer can fine-tune the workststions’ standby and power. Energy savings are measured via Green Snapper Management console: the workstations has Green Snapper Client installed and sending statistics to the Green Snapper server, which calculates and generates the personnel reports to control the energy usage. The CO2 emission reports are derived from the workstation’s electricity usage.
Ravensoft has both direct and indirect sales model for Green Snapper. The sales in Finland has just started and the current key customers include medium and large organizations like University of Jyväskylä, Fläktwoods, Landis&Gyr and a (confidential) large utility company. However, in short-term, the biggest market potential is seen on the USA, where Green Snapper is distributed via TELLUS International covering both USA and Latin America market. I definitively agree, as it seems to me that in Finland, we should be much more aware of new business opportunities and competitive edges enabled by cleantech. Make IT blossom!
