Our Work
An Integrative Electric Load Management Strategy
One of the US’ largest electric utilities has continued to face higher and higher daily and annual demand peaks, lower and lower net demand when solar production is high, and as a result an increasingly steep daily ramp-up especially during hot summer months. Meanwhile, traditional load management programs such as Demand Response, Energy Efficiency and Time-of-Use rates have failed to evolve with such rapid load shifts. In a co-creation exercise with our client, ADL re-imagined the utility’s load management strategy to better accommodate consumer preferences in addition to grid needs, and developed more than a dozen innovative program proposals to flatten the utility-wide net demand curve within 15 years.
Spinning Out a New Business Model from a Leading Public EV Company
After going public and raising a war chest of nearly $500 million, a publicly traded EV company specializing in medium and heavy-duty vehicles was well positioned for growth. To speed revenue creation, the company invested $2 million in a new division and pipeline development, specifically targeting a new full-service lease offering complemented by a new charging product offering.
The challenge: how to streamline operations to create near-term revenue while eliminating distractions and preserving the upside of early progress on new divisions.
R&D Prioritization and Commercialization
ADL was recruited to assess the commercial viability and value of an early R&D portfolio funded by the Corporate Strategy group of a major US electric/gas utility. At ADL’s suggestion, one project – related to hydrogen-proofing gas infrastructure – was ultimately approved for commercialization, and ADL continued to work on the commercialization effort in exchange solely for equity in the forthcoming startup instead of direct fees.
Clean Energy and Energy Resilience
ADL supported PG&E in its efforts to identify more sustainable means of powering safe-to-energize circuits during Public Safety Power Shutoff events. Our techno-economic analysis was later provided in its public comments in response to a proceeding from the California Public Utilities Commission.
Open Innovation
Winner of Department of Energy Innovative Pathways grant. Successful challenges include finding innovative building materials for Sto Corporations and woody biomass removal technologies for PG&E.
A Leading US Utility Partners with Startups on Sustainable Forest Management
Millions of acres of California’s forests must be better managed to foster healthier growth with a lower likelihood of wildfires.
Our client alone trims and removes more than 1 million trees near its wires across its territory each year to mitigate wildfire risk, and as many as 15 million acres of California forests need some form of restoration.
Business Unit Creation
A $10B legacy-sector company was asked to present a plan to its corporate board on the energy & sustainability pathways most synergistic with existing internal capabilities and most likely to drive superior financial returns. ADL performed a rapid planning effort, leading to a new cleantech business unit.