At the annual Innovation Awards, AI-based startup “Hank” received recognition as the Sustainability Innovation of the year. Hank is saving building owners over 30% of their energy bills by tuning their existing energy management systems through close monitoring and machine learning. Hank also has closed a small investment round to give them some more runway to build a customer base. They are already generating revenue from a small number of early customers.
Also recognized for sustainability innovations were RePurpose Energy with its second-life EV battery-based solar energy storage systems and Sustainable Technology with its clever “Facet” rooftop mounts for solar PV panels.
The grand prize winner as overall Innovator of the Year was SMUD, being recognized for its contributions to the advanced mobility center and its support of community groups dedicated to community development, diversity, and sustainability leadership. We are proud to have SMUD as one of our largest supporters.