Blog

SR Inc was pleased to host the Sustainable Business & Enterprise Roundtable “SBER” Q2 Executive Symposium: Portfolio Managers Meet the IoE & Renewable Energy Revolutions on June 11th in Washington, D.C.

The discussion focused on SR Inc’s SBER Shared Research Focus for 2015 – “Net Zero Emissions Portfolio-wide by 2030” – and more specifically on SBER’s two 2015 chartered projects: “Portfolio Manager Meets the Internet of Everything” and “Portfolio Manager Meets the Renewable Energy Revolution”. The role of the IoE in high-performing CRE is an emerging phenomenon, but many Member-Clients have acknowledged the implications it will likely have for their companies’ operations, and some Member Executives, including the Q2 Symposium presenters Stephen Evanko and George Holcombe of Capital One, are already piloting and implementing smart building technologies. Member-Clients also discussed the current market context for renewable energy in CRE and, in particular, noted the growing promise of renewable energy storage and advanced strategies for off-site renewable energy procurement. The following are key takeaways from the presentation delivered by SR Inc, highlighting general findings from among multiple Member-Clients during the preparation for this meeting:

• With the exponential growth of the Internet of Everything (IoE) comes an emergence of a “4th platform” – a continuously communicating network of “ambient computing” between people and things involving billions of non-human and humanusers, apps, and sensors.
• Portfolio managers are increasingly recognizing the challenges and opportunities of IoE-enabled workplaces – for improved consumption data and data management, predictive analytics, and fixture-level control – as well as for workspace optimization and improved employee productivity.
• Solution providers are responding to the market demand for open architecturethat promotes innovation and sustainability within a facility and serves to make the technology both “future-proof” and compliant with global standards.
• Energy storage capabilities are rapidly evolving and will likely have significant implications for renewable energy in corporate real estate (CRE) in 2016.
• Advanced strategies for off-site renewable energy procurement have growing appeal for Portfolio Managers as they wrestle with the limitations associated with onsite installations – particularly for leased buildings.
• The best states to pursue solar in 2015 include California, New York and Massachusetts based on state solar policy, electricity cost, solar incentives, payback and internal rate of return, and net metering and interconnection opportunities.

Materials presented at the Q2 Executive Symposium and a summary of the discussions are available in SR Inc’s Member-only Digital Library here.