Report: The Top 10 Carbon Software Companies

There’s hundreds of software tools and companies to choose from when it comes to helping businesses and organizations manage resources, like energy consumption, carbon emissions, and water use. But a report out this morning from the researchers at Groom Energy singles out the top 10 companies providing these important tools, shedding some light onto this confusing — and crowded — sector.

The report notes that the resource software market is maturing and has seen fewer acquisitions and venture fundings in recent months. That’s probably a good thing, as the last thing the market needs is more new carbon software firms emerging. A lot of these companies appeared, or beefed up, in 2009, anticipating U.S. federal carbon legislation. Well, that never came (and doesn’t look likely to come in 2011), but the weak economy has led to companies looking to cut energy for economic reasons.

Groom highlighted the reigning 10 because of the companies’ number of customers, software features, energy management capabilities, financial standing, and market vision. The winners are (in alphabetical order):

• Advantage IQ — Advantage IQ is a subsidiary of power company Avista Corp and has been on an acquisition tear lately, acquiring Building Knowledge Networks and The Loyalton Group, over the past two months.
• Enablon — The French company counts customers like Air France KLM Group, Dell, Del Monte, L’Oréal, McGraw Hill, Symantec, Texas Instruments, The Timberland Company, and Total.
• EnerNOC — Demand response provider EnerNOC bought eQuilibrium Solutions in mid 2009.
• Enviance — Customers include large power and oil companies like CH2MHill, Chevron, Georgia Power, Southern Company, AEP, DuPont, Valero Refining. Founded in 1999, the company is based in Carlsbad, Calif.
• Hara — Hara’s software as a service produce focuses on energy and resources (and not carbon) and has racked up big deals like utility Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA). Hara is backed by Kleiner Perkins, Nth Power, and JAFCO Ventures.
• IHS — IHS acquired carbon and energy software player ESS in September 2009.
• Johnson Controls — Yep the massive building automation company also has a resource management software play.
• PE International — Founded in 1991, PE International, has raised funds from Siemens Venture Capital (SVC), and Gimv.
• SAP — Two years ago massive software company SAP bought up 2-year-old startup Clear Standards, which sold software to manage carbon emissions, energy consumption, and water use.
• Summit Energy — Summit Energy says it began as a natural gas consulting company, based in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1991 and has expanded into energy management, risk management and carbon software.

Despite the lack of federal carbon legislation, the market for energy and carbon software grew 400 percent throughout 2010 and is predicted to grow
300 percent in 2011, says Groom Energy.

SOURCE : gigaom