Darcy Partners acquired Realize 2050, an energy solutions consultancy serving investor-owned utilities across North America.
Following the transaction, Darcy Partners will operate through two focused business units: Darcy Power, which will serve the power and utilities sector, and Darcy Oil & Gas.
The company will also continue providing coverage of energy transition technologies and market trends across its broader customer base.
Realize 2050 founder Chris Richardson will become CEO of Darcy Power.
Sam Long will remain Chairman and CEO of Darcy Partners and will continue leading the company’s work in oil and gas and adjacent markets.
Darcy Power will combine Darcy Partners’ technology intelligence platform, research, benchmarking, and utility community with Realize 2050’s strategic advisory and technology commercialization capabilities.
Darcy said its existing utility customers will continue receiving the same technology intelligence, community-driven research, and benchmarking services, while gaining access to Realize 2050’s advisory capabilities.
Realize 2050 will continue serving its consulting clients under its existing brand, team, and leadership.
Those clients will now also have access to Darcy Partners’ intelligence platform, technical resources, and utility community.
Darcy said its Power & Utilities member base has grown fourfold over the past four years.
The company sees the acquisition as a way to deepen its presence in the utility sector and help customers move more quickly from technology intelligence to operating and investment decisions.
Darcy Power will focus on helping utilities and other power-sector participants evaluate emerging technologies, modernize grids, and convert strategic priorities into funded and scalable programs.
The combined platform is also intended to help utilities address affordability, interconnection speeds, reliability, safety, and capital deployment.
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
KEY QUOTES:
“We are proud of the fact that we have quadrupled utility participation in our Power & Utilities member base over the last four years. However, we believe we are just beginning to scratch the surface when it comes to the impact we could create in the utility industry. Maximizing that potential starts with having the right leader with the right vision, and we believe Chris brings that vision to Darcy.”
Sam Long, Chairman and CEO of Darcy Partners
“This industry has never had more information, but information isn’t knowledge and knowledge isn’t a decision. Those gaps are where utilities lose time and capital, and closing them is what this transaction accomplishes. Darcy provides utilities with access to a unique community of peers, combined with services to identify innovation opportunities and de-risk capital deployment. Realize 2050 provides a layer on top of those capabilities to translate that intelligence to each utility’s specific operating environment, helping drive affordability and accelerate interconnection speeds without sacrificing reliability and safety.”
Chris Richardson, Founder of Realize 2050 and CEO of Darcy Power
“Chris has impressed us with his deep knowledge of utility innovation strategies. We are excited by Sam’s vision for the Darcy Partners platform, and we look forward to seeing Chris help refine and advance that vision.”
Keith Gross, Partner at Pacific Lake Partners and Board Member at Darcy Partners
