Op-Ed: Here’s how companies can strong-arm their suppliers into cutting carbon emissions
There’s a new energy trend sweeping the U.S. — and beyond — and it’s about replacing old power plants’ dirty sources with clean ones. But is it a new way of life for the country’s power companies?
The story of the modern power industry is about innovation and business change, and the story of new clean energy in the U.S. is about a new way of life.
A few big technology companies, like Apple, Google and Facebook, have created huge footprints in renewable energy, cutting carbon emissions.
But the biggest tech companies — Facebook, Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and others — are not on board just because clean-energy solutions are cool; they’re on board because they are all making money.
It’s not just an environmental trend. It’s a business trend.
Facebook, Google, and Amazon have been the top leaders in clean-energy innovation for a long time. In the last quarter, the top-three spenders on renewable energy were Facebook, Google, and Amazon, according to GTM Research Group.
There is no getting away from a trend: The tech industry is big and influential. These three companies are the leaders of the clean-energy revolution.
This news is big for the U.S. and for the world. It’s a big change in the global energy industry, not just for the future of carbon abatement, but for the future of how companies make money.
In this article, I’m focusing on how to disrupt power companies. But I am not trying to get tech companies to join us on a journey to power 100% clean. We need a healthy mix of all kinds of energy, which means power companies and other business leaders from all backgrounds need to be part of this movement.
How companies can make money in power-sector innovation
A big part of the new clean power trend is that it can help companies save money and make money.
But how?
There are no easy answers, but here are a few options:
1. Cut carbon emissions.
It’s an old idea, but it’s becoming more acceptable and more likely to happen.
That’s because the U.S. and other countries can’t rely on fossil fuel companies to cut emissions, and U.S. energy and climate policies