Newlight vs Virtual Peaker
Side-by-side comparison of AI visibility scores, market position, and capabilities
Newlight converts greenhouse gases and air into AirCarbon, a natural biodegradable PHB biopolymer made using ocean microorganisms; consumer brand includes Covalent fashion accessories; raised $80M+ total;
About
Newlight is a materials science and biotechnology company founded in 2003 by Mark Herrema and Kenton Kimura and headquartered in Huntington Beach, California. The company has developed a proprietary process that uses ocean-derived microorganisms to convert carbon from air and greenhouse gases into AirCarbon — a naturally occurring biopolymer (polyhydroxybutyrate, or PHB) that can be processed into a variety of material forms including films, fibers, foams, and rigid plastics. AirCarbon is biodegradable in ocean and soil environments, unlike conventional petroleum-derived plastics, and its production process is designed to be carbon-negative: the carbon captured from greenhouse gases exceeds the carbon released during manufacturing.
Virtual Peaker provides demand flexibility software that enables utilities to control customer devices and manage grid load using distributed energy resources.
About
Virtual Peaker is an energy software company founded in 2016 that provides a demand flexibility and distributed energy resource management platform for electric utilities. The software enables utilities to enroll customer devices including smart thermostats, water heaters, EV chargers, and battery storage systems in demand response programs, then orchestrate those devices to reduce peak demand, integrate renewable energy, and manage grid constraints. Virtual Peaker's platform supports direct load control programs where utilities can adjust device settings during grid events as well as price-responsive programs where customers shift usage based on time-of-use pricing. The company serves over 50 utility customers across North America and manages millions of enrolled customer devices. Virtual Peaker raised $38M and was later acquired by Itron, a leading utility technology company, to strengthen Itron's distributed energy resource management capabilities. The platform addresses the critical challenge utilities face in managing increasingly complex grids as solar, EVs, and batteries proliferate among customer populations.
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