Despite rising oil and gas prices and pressure on supply channels, global energy demand continued to grow in 2022.
In its World Energy Outlook report, the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that electricity consumption will increase by 50% between 2021 and 2040, due to rising global living standards and the growth of the world's population, which is expected to increase by 2 billion over the next 2 decades. The IEA also forecasts a 21% rise in total energy demand by 2040, with global natural gas demand also expected to grow by 28% and oil demand by 17% by 2050.
At present, fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal) account for 66% of total energy consumption, although it should be noted that renewable energy production has increased significantly in 2022 (+27% solar energy, +13% wind energy).
At a time when many experts are talking about "the world's first energy crisis of unprecedented complexity", a number of companies have emerged to revolutionize the production and supply of clean, renewable energy in a sustainable and responsible way. Such is the case of Sun King, a veritable nugget that today supplies solar energy to 95 million people in Africa and Asia, as well as Windar, which has rapidly established itself as one of the world's leading manufacturers of components for wind turbines, and the American company Olea Edge Analytics, which has developed cutting-edge technology to make water distribution systems more sustainable and equitable.
Featured in Vintage Altaroc Odyssey 2021, Sun King is the world's largest off-grid solar energy company. It currently supplies solar energy to 95 million people in Africa (Zambia, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria and recently Cameroon, Mozambique and Togo) and Asia. Its services are used by 18 million Kenyans, a third of the country's population.
Current systems developed by the company can power small appliances such as lamps and cell phones.
According to Sun King co-founder Anish Thakkar, "1.8 billion people in the world currently need solar-powered products". The market is truly colossal!
The company offers consumers affordable solar energy, with a model that relieves families of the high cost of grid connection. Sun King is recognized for its fair and sustainable business practices, and recently announced the acquisition of PayGo Energy, a leading provider of clean cooking appliances.
With this acquisition, the company aims to make clean cooking appliances, powered by solar energy and other clean energy sources, more accessible, even though 3 billion people worldwide use polluting and harmful wood and charcoal stoves.
The company recorded sales ofaround $320 million in 2022, up 74% year-on-year.
Present in the Vintage Altaroc Odyssey 2022, Windar is one of the world's leading manufacturers of components for wind turbines.
Founded in 2007 in Spain, Windar started out as a supplier to Siemens Gamesa, before establishing itself as a world leader in the manufacture of towers for the onshore wind energy market. The company has 10 production sites, located in Spain, India, Mexico and Brazil, with the aim of being as close as possible to its customers in order to limit transport costs.
Keen to expand its exposure to the offshore wind energy market, the company has diversified, now offering a range of components used in the manufacture of wind turbines, such as the floating structures that support the turbines. Thanks to the 42,000 components produced by Windar since 2007, 13 million tonnes of CO2 emissions have been saved, making the company a leading player in the ecological transition.
The company's order book currently stands at 1 billion euros, providing good visibility on future revenues for the years 2023-2024.
Heading for the USA, where Olea Edge Analytics uses cutting-edge technology to make water distribution systems more sustainable and equitable.
The company, founded in 2014 in Texas, gives utilities the means to optimize water conservation, delivery as well as billing, with the direct consequence of saving American communities millions of dollars a year.
The company, featured in Vintage Altaroc Odyssey 2021, has positioned itself in the "smart water" segment for "smart cities", combating aging infrastructure and limiting rate increases for taxpayers.
Olea Edge's IoT technology is based on smart meters that work with the company's software. The technology helps water meters detect anomalies in real time and connects them to software that will make recommendations for solutions.
"Cities and water utilities face enormous challenges on all sides: financial, operational, hiring and more," explained Dave Mackie, president and CEO of Olea Edge, recently.
In 2018, the company partnered with the City of Atlanta to design a pilot program for 29 water meter placements. In just three months, the company identified over $1 million in recoverable revenue for the city's water department. Encouraged by these results, the program expanded to 700 meters. In less than 12 months, the program saved the Atlanta community $10 million.
