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Draft:BlocPower

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  • Comment: Please look with great care and a jaundiced eye at the references you have chosen. I have checked a few, at random. They are churnalism, press releases, announcements, PR pieces.
    These are not appropriate nor useful. They need to be replaced. At present they are WP:BOMBARD. This must change. This is what says "This is an advert"
    Resubmitting it in the same state is likely to lead to rejection. (0.75% probability). I will not decline it a second time. You need to work well if this is to have a chance of acceptance. 🇺🇦 FiddleTimtrent FaddleTalk to me 🇺🇦 19:26, 30 June 2024 (UTC)
  • Comment: The promotional tone needs to go. Notability is not established. Your only job is to show that it passes WP:NCORP. You have not yet done so 🇺🇦 FiddleTimtrent FaddleTalk to me 🇺🇦 15:02, 30 June 2024 (UTC)

BlocPower is a Brooklyn-based cleantech company. The company uses software to identify energy inefficiencies in buildings, with the aim of retrofitting those buildings with energy-efficient technologies that will reduce carbon emissions and lower the energy costs for the building owners. It has a proprietary SaaS platform called BlocMaps and also provides financing, analysis, project management, and training during the retrofitting process.[1][2][3][4] BlocPower has been praised for its innovative approach to tackling climate change and helping marginalized communities,[5][6] but has also been critiqued for a variety of shortcomings, including accusations of dishonesty.[7][8][9]

History[edit]

BlocPower was launched in 2013 by Donnel Baird.[10][11] From late 2013 to 2014, the company received funding from the Building Technologies Office, in US Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. This supported a pilot program to develop an online platform for connecting investors with energy efficiency project investment opportunities.[12]

BlocPower partnered with Ithaca, New York, to help implement the Ithaca Green New Deal resolution, a resolution adopted by the city in 2019 with the aim of making the city carbon neutral by 2030.[13][14][8] Under the agreement, the company would work to convert at least 1,600 of the 6,000 buildings in Ithaca to electricity, especially those owned by low income and disadvantaged residents.[15] Unlike most city contracts, the BlocPower agreement was not subject to the traditional competitive procurement process.[9] Progress on Ithaca's Green New Deal has stalled at various stages due to factors such as the pandemic, delays in ramping up BlocPower's involvement, and the turnover of city officials and environmental advocacy groups.[16]

In 2021, BlocPower contracted with the city of New York to create a workforce training program to train 1,500 people in communities fighting gun violence. The contract was financed from the Cares Act.[17][18]

In 2022, the company's Civilian Climate Corps workforce training program expanded to train 3,000 New York City residents for clean energy jobs.[19][20] Menlo Park partnered with BlocPower to transition residents from natural gas to electric power, as part of a $4.5 million grant from the state of California for purposes of electrifying the city by 2030.[21][22]

In March 2023, the company had exposure to the 2023 collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, but ultimately was protected by the FDIC.[9] Later in the spring of 2023, the city of Cambridge, MA, partnered with BlocPower for a one-year pilot program to help the city reach its 2050 carbon net zero goals.[23] A pilot was also launched May 9th with Petersborough, NH.[24]

In early 2024, the first eleven commercial properties to undergo electrification in Ithaca were announced.[25][26] As of February 2024, the company has contracts with numerous cities across the country.[27][28]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Hanley, Steve (2023-03-03). "BlocPower Brings Energy Efficiency To Low & Moderate Income Families". CleanTechnica. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  2. ^ "AutoBEM for BlocPower" (PDF). Oak Ridge National Laboratory. January 30, 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  3. ^ "Equipment Leasing Unlocks Electrification for Brooklyn Co-op". www.habitatmag.com. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  4. ^ Team, Y. C. C. (2023-06-20). "Brooklyn-based company helps buildings become cleaner and greener » Yale Climate Connections". Yale Climate Connections. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  5. ^ Korn, Jennifer (2022-12-05). "The clean energy company turning city blocks greener | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  6. ^ "This innovative cleantech job-training program is changing lives". Canary Media. 2022-06-21. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  7. ^ Harris, Lee (6 September 2023). "Energy Insufficiency". The American Prospect.
  8. ^ a b "The Wall Street Bet Behind Ithaca's Green New Deal". New York Focus. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  9. ^ a b c Staff, Review (2023-03-22). "BlocPower, SVB, and the Decarbonization Dilemma". The Cornell Review. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  10. ^ "Donnel Baird". The Climate Reality Project. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  11. ^ "Power for the People". Columbia Magazine. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  12. ^ "BlocPower: Crowdsourced Microfinance for Energy Efficiency in Underserved Communities". Energy.gov. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  13. ^ "Green New Deal | Ithaca, NY - Official Website". www.cityofithaca.org. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  14. ^ Brady, Jeff (March 4, 2024). "Getting off fossil fuels is hard, but this city is doing it — building by building". NPR. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  15. ^ "The building decarbonization big idea: BlocPower in Ithaca | U.S. Green Building Council". www.usgbc.org. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  16. ^ "Halfway to Ithaca's Green New Deal deadline, progress is mixed". WSKG. 2024-02-21. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  17. ^ "Climate Stories Episode #3: Keith Kinch, BlocPower". Blog - Business & Environment - Harvard Business School. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  18. ^ "BlocPower: Fighting Climate Change through Workforce Development". info.raisegreen.com. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  19. ^ Thomas, Ian (2023-03-02). "Microsoft, Kimbal Musk, NBA's Russell Westbrook invest in Brooklyn-based climate tech company BlocPower". CNBC. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  20. ^ "Mayor Adams, BlocPower Announce Significant Expansion of Precision Employment Initiative to Provide". The official website of the City of New York. Oct 20, 2022. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  21. ^ Rebosio, Cameron (2022-07-07). "A $4.5 million grant from the state sparks Menlo Park's conversion to all-electric buildings". The Almanac. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  22. ^ "A $4.5 million grant from the state sparks Menlo Park's conversion to all-electric buildings". Senator Josh Becker. 2022-07-08. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  23. ^ "Massachusetts City Tackles Building Decarbonization at Scale | Engineering News-Record". www.enr.com. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  24. ^ Sentinel, Trisha Nail/The Keene (2023-06-14). "First-of-its-kind collaboration seeks to help Peterborough meet sustainability goals". NH Business Review. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  25. ^ Rose, Vivian. "Ithaca's Green New Deal aids local businesses in switch to energy efficient technology". THE ITHACAN. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  26. ^ "City of Ithaca Announces First "Bloc" of Building Electrification Projects". Ithaca, NY. Archived from the original on May 19, 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  27. ^ Wolf, Jeffrey (Feb 20, 2024). "IN² Demonstration: Electrification—One Building at a Time". NREL. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  28. ^ Wray, Sarah (2023-01-25). "San Jose launches building electrification and jobs programme". Cities Today. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
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