Geovanny Vicente – Página 9

Ballard Announces Follow-On Orders From Wrightbus for Fuel Cell Modules to Power 50 Buses in the U.K.

VANCOUVER, BC and HOBRO, Denmark, March 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ – Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ: BLDP) (TSX: BLDP) today announced that it has received follow-on purchase orders from Wrightbus (www.wrightbus.com), a leading bus OEM and Ballard partner headquartered in Northern Ireland, for a total of 50 fuel cell modules to power Fuel Cell Electric Buses, or FCEBs, planned for deployment in a number of U.K. cities. The buses will be partially funded under the JIVE (Joint Initiative For Hydrogen Vehicles Across Europe) program.

The orders for the 50 fuel cell modules announced today are incremental to the previous orders for a total of 50 modules, which was referenced in Ballard’s June 16, 2020 press release, with all 50 of those modules having shipped in 2020. Of the additional 50 modules announced today, 4 were shipped in 2020. All of these additional modules will power buses planned for deployment in a number of U.K. cities, including Birmingham, Aberdeen, London and Belfast.

Rob Campbell, Ballard Chief Commercial Operator said, «The orders announced today from Wrightbus for 50 fuel cell modules, in combination with the 50 modules noted in June 2020, underpins the value we place on our long-standing partnership with Wrightbus. The Fuel Cell Electric Bus market is now gaining momentum and is expected to continue on an aggressive growth path in Europe and globally. Ballard intends to continue leading with proven and reliable fuel cell products that offer superior total cost of ownership for bus fleet operators along with the benefits of fuel cell buses that deliver route flexibility, rapid refueling and long range zero-emission performance.»

The JIVE program provides partial funding for a total of 295 Fuel Cell Electric Buses, of which 120 are currently operating in the U.K., France, Italy, Denmark, Latvia, and The Netherlands. The remaining 175 FCEBs are expected to be deployed in various European cities by mid-2022. Ballard is supplying fuel cell modules for more than 85% of the FCEBs deployed and ordered to date under the JIVE program.

About Ballard Power Systems
Ballard Power Systems’ (NASDAQ: BLDP) (TSX: BLDP) vision is to deliver fuel cell power for a sustainable planet. Ballard zero-emission PEM fuel cells are enabling electrification of mobility, including buses, commercial trucks, trains, marine vessels, passenger cars and forklift trucks. To learn more about Ballard, please visit www.ballard.com.

This release contains forward-looking statements concerning anticipated product performance and other characteristics, product deliveries and deployments. These forward-looking statements reflect Ballard’s current expectations as contemplated under section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Any such forward-looking statements are based on Ballard’s assumptions relating to its financial forecasts and expectations regarding its product development efforts, manufacturing capacity, and market demand.

These statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause Ballard’s actual results to be materially different, including general economic and regulatory changes, detrimental reliance on third parties, successfully achieving our business plans and achieving and sustaining profitability. For a detailed discussion of these and other risk factors that could affect Ballard’s future performance, please refer to Ballard’s most recent Annual Information Form. Readers should not place undue reliance on Ballard’s forward-looking statements and Ballard assumes no obligation to update or release any revisions to these forward-looking statements, other than as required under applicable legislation.

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SOURCE Ballard Power Systems Inc.

Sichuan: From Poverty Eradication to Rural Vitalization

CHENGDU, China, March 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — News provided by China Report:

<img src="https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1452619/image.jpg" title="Local residents in Sichuan shake off the shackles of poverty by moving into new houses from…

CHENGDU, China, March 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — News provided by China Report:

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang announced that all remaining poor rural residents, totaling 5.51 million in early 2020, were lifted from poverty by the end of last year, as were all of the country’s remaining 52 poor counties, when delivering the Report on the Work of the Government on March 5. Sichuan Province in southwest China, once a major battlefield for poverty eradication, contributed significantly to the achievement.

Of the total 183 county-level regions in Sichuan, 161 were plagued by poverty, and 45 of them struggled in extreme poverty. Last year, 6.25 million poor people in 11,501 villages of 88 impoverished counties rose above poverty.

Abuluoha, once «the poorest corner in China,» was among the 11,501 villages. In Yi language, «abuluoha» means «a deep valley in the mountain» or «an off-limit place.» It is nestled in a valley along the Jinsha River in Butuo County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture. The geological location made the village once inaccessible by modern means of transportation. Villagers had to climb over the mountains and cliffs or use ziplines to cross rivers to see the outside world.

Changes came in 2019 when Sichuan vowed to make all villages accessible with paved roads by the end of the year. In June, engineering vehicles arrived in Abuluoha.

Construction of the merely 3.8-km-long road to the village was a daunting challenge as most of it was close to steep cliffs. Apart from leading experts, Sichuan managed to make the Mil Mi-26 heavy transport helicopter come to help. «We were astonished to see an excavator walking out of the belly of an aircraft,» recalled a villager who was only 20 meters away from where the helicopter landed.

The completion of the road a year later marked that all administrative villages in Sichuan were accessible by motor vehicles. Thanks to the road, local residents bade farewell to poverty, with their incomes growing exponentially.

Ending poverty is not the finishing line, but marks a new start. On February 25, China unveiled the new national administration for rural vitalization to replace former State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development. Behind the reshuffle is the historic shift of China’s focus on rural wok. Sichuan has already made moves to vitalize the rural areas.

Industrial prosperity is key to China’s rural vitalization strategy. As an agriculture-based province, Sichuan started from accelerating the pace of agricultural modernization. So far, Liangshan has planned to build 118 modern agricultural industrial parks to provide jobs to more than 80 percent of former impoverished households.

Farmers in Sichuan’s Dayi County now do farm work on «cloud.» Zhu Lisha, a local farmer, said all the work can be finished on her mobile phone. By clicking an app icon, she gets into a map of her farmland. The app features four sections, namely agricultural means of production, farm work, harvest and finance. «You can place an order on the phone and have a special team to do the job,» Zhu said, adding that it is even unnecessary to go to the farmland to get the work done.

Another part of Sichuan’s rural vitalization strategies is digital countryside construction. In 2020, Tibetan heartthrob Ding Zhen went viral online, making his hometown Litang County in Garze rise to fame overnight. Hanfan Village in Litang used to face serious desertification. In 2016, the village started to combine environmental restoration with tourism development on a trial basis by planting drought-resistant flower species on a land measuring 53.3 hectares in area. Beside the ocean of flowers, a 13.3-hectare prairie-themed resort was built. While preserving the ecology, the flower farm and prairie-themed resort brought tourism incomes to local residents.

In the future, Sichuan’s focal efforts in vitalizing the rural areas will include advancing reforms of the collective property rights system, boosting new-type rural collective economy, exploring sustainable sources for farmers’ incomes, promoting cooperation in agriculture, further modernizing the industrial and supply chains of agricultural industrial parks, expanding the use of new technologies and equipment in agriculture, and improving the environment in rural areas.

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SOURCE China Report

Kia Sorento And K5 Achieve Top 10 For The 2021 World Car Of The Year Awards

IRVINE, Calif., March 9, 2021 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — The Kia Sorento and K5 have both been selected to the Top 10 for this year’s World Car of the Year (WCOTY) Awards. The nominations follow Kia’s big wins last year, as the Telluride was named ‘World Car of the Year’ and the Soul EV ‘World Urban Car.’

<img id="prnejpgdcealeft" title="Kia Sorento and K5 Achieve Top 10 for the 2021 World Car of the Year…

Kia Sorento and K5 Achieve Top 10 for the 2021 World Car of the Year Awards.

«Kia’s vehicles continue to earn acclaim for segment leadership, innovation and design, and this latest nomination is further proof of our position as a world-class brand,» said Sean Yoon, president and CEO, Kia Motors North America, Kia Motors America. «We are honored to be considered again for World Car of the Year and are all looking forward to the results next month.»

All-new for 2021, the fourth generation Sorento features head-turning design, more off-road capability, and proven safety tech. With a bold new name representing Kia’s engineering and consumer confidence, the K5 sets a new standard among midsize sedans with its revolutionary design and powerful turbocharged engine lineup.

«Now in their 17th year, the World Car Awards were inaugurated to reflect the reality of the global marketplace and to recognize, reward and inspire excellence, leadership and innovation in a rapidly changing automotive industry on a global scale,» said Beth Rhind, co-founder and Executive Director at World Car Awards.

The winners of the World Car Awards will be announced April 20 and are decided by an independent international jury of 93 acclaimed automotive journalists from 28 countries around the world.

About Kia Motors America

Headquartered in Irvine, California, Kia Motors America continues to top quality surveys and is recognized as one of the 100 Best Global Brands. Kia serves as the «Official Automotive Partner» of the NBA and offers a complete range of vehicles sold through a network of more than 750 dealers in the U.S., including cars and SUVs proudly assembled in West Point, Georgia.*

For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com. To receive custom email notifications for press releases the moment they are published, subscribe at www.kiamedia.com/us/en/newsalert.

*The Telluride, Sorento and K5 are assembled in the United States from U.S. and globally sourced parts.

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SOURCE Kia Motors America

World Centric® Unveils Breakthrough Compostable Molded Fiber Cutlery

ROHNERT PARK, Calif., March 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — World Centric^® today announced a new and unique collection of certified compostable molded fiber single-use cutlery and serving utensils. This collection of wood-free, plastic-free products provides the foodservice industry a more environmentally-conscious option to traditional disposable cutlery and serving utensils and is suitable for a broad range of common food serving and meal prep uses. Currently, available items include 6″ and 3″…

World Centric is the first in North America to offer molded fiber cutlery for use in the disposable foodservice industry. In the U.S., over 100 million plastic utensils are used daily, and over 27 million tons of plastic end up in U.S. landfills each year. Traditional plastic utensils are made from petroleum, are too small to be recycled easily, and will never decompose. Plastic cutlery is one of the most common items found in the ocean. World Centric’s molded fiber cutlery is made from discarded sugarcane and rapidly renewable bamboo fibers, reducing a source of plastic leakage into the environment. The molded fiber cutlery collection is certified commercially compostable by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) and contains no added PFAS or bioplastic. The new collection joins World Centric’s suite of existing Leaf molded fiber products – including containers, plates, bowls, portion cups, and lids. It is part of a suite of eco-conscious and compostable products including the NoTree™ hot and cold cups, and other plant-based foodservice ware available across North America.

In addition to its commitment to product innovation that is better for the planet, sales of all World Centric products support World Centric’s ongoing giving of 25% of net profits to global grassroots social and environmental projects that have a significant positive impact in providing basic needs for their communities and the environment. In 2020, World Centric gave over $2.1MM in annual cash and product donations to provide assistance and help create change at the root of many social and environmental issues.

For more information about World Centric or its new fiber cutlery, visit worldcentric.com

About World Centric

Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Rohnert Park, CA, World Centric provides certified compostable products for both the foodservice industry and to consumers through retail channels. By innovating in plant-based materials and design, World Centric has developed over 350 foodservice and retail products across tableware, cutlery, and food packaging. All of World Centric’s products will turn into the soil in commercial composting facilities where available. As a Certified B Corporation and California Benefit Corporation, World Centric upholds rigorous standards of social and environmental responsibility and donates 25% of net profits to organizations addressing social and environmental issues with more than $2.1 million allocated for donations in 2020. Please visit worldcentric.com for more information.

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SOURCE World Centric

Kia Sorento And K5 Achieve Top 10 For The 2021 World Car Of The Year Awards

IRVINE, Calif., March 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The Kia Sorento and K5 have both been selected to the Top 10 for this year’s World Car of the Year (WCOTY) Awards. The nominations follow Kia’s big wins last year, as the Telluride was named ‘World Car of the Year’ and the Soul EV ‘World Urban Car.’

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All-new Sorento and K5 one step closer to the prestigious WCOTY win, beating out 22 other vehicles to earn top spots.

The winners of the World Car Awards will be announced April 20 and are decided by an independent international jury of 93 acclaimed automotive journalists from 28 countries around the world.

About Kia Motors America

*The Telluride, Sorento and K5 are assembled in the United States from U.S. and globally sourced parts.

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SOURCE Kia Motors America

energyOrbit and Ekotrope Partner to Help Utilities Streamline Energy Efficiency Programs

SAN FRANCISCO, March 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — As the world increasingly focuses on enacting efforts to protect the environment, two energy efficiency companies are partnering to encourage businesses and residents to embrace energy efficiency programs delivered through utilities and third-party implementers. energyOrbit, which offers a software solution for cloud energy efficiency and demand-side management (DSM), and Ekotrope, which facilitates energy ratings and data sharing for residential buildings, have formed a technical integration, initially focused on new ENERGY STAR^® homes.

The new integration recognizes the growth in energy efficiency programs, including distributed energy and electrification. It enables home energy raters to automatically and seamlessly push Ekotrope’s assessment data to energyOrbit for real-time utility program validation and payment via a shared Salesforce API. Previously, organizations would need to go to another solution provider first to validate home energy scores, identify home locations, and more, adding time and the potential for error.

The integration will make it easier for utility or third-party program administrators to factor ratings data into their energy efficiency programs, beginning with pre-qualification of data. Ekotrope and energyOrbit estimates a potential 60 to 80 percent time savings through their integrated solution.

«Partnering with Ekotrope is a logical step to streamline energy efficiency assessment for our customers,» said Udi Merhav, CEO and founder, energyOrbit. «We see the coming growth in more distributed energy and electrification implementations. This broadens our footprint in the DSM landscape to best serve our commitment to protecting the environment and addressing climate change.»

«We want to provide a data highway for our customers. This new integration with energyOrbit’s solution removes the human element from data transfer and validation, providing a more streamlined process,» said Ziv Rozenblum, founder and CEO, Ekotrope. «This is quicker and more accurate, helping eliminate quality control headaches, allowing builders to make smarter decisions, and delivering a best-in-class solution to our shared customers.»

ENERGY STAR is a federal program run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy that promotes energy efficiency. It uses different standardized methods to provide information on the energy consumption of products and devices.

About energyOrbit
Founded in 2009 and based in San Francisco, California, energyOrbit is the market-leading solution for cloud energy efficiency and Demand-Side Management operations. energyOrbit is deployed with leading utilities, program administrators, and third-party implementers across North America, enabling customers to realize an average of up to 75 percent improved efficiency and savings in their DSM operations. energyOrbit empowers utilities to deploy DSM programs in hours, scale programs and portfolios efficiently, and to streamline utility customer relationships, partners, and internal communications seamlessly.

As of 2019, energyOrbit has helped utilities and third-party implementers manage more than 24 TWh of electricity savings. Additionally, 11 GW of peak demand has been reduced by efficiency measures tracked by energyOrbit. More than $3.7 billion in incentives have been managed and prepared for payment. For details, visit www.energy-orbit.com and follow on Twitter (@energyOrbit) and on LinkedIn.

About Ekotrope
Founded in 2011, Ekotrope offers the most widely used Home Energy Rating Software which is used on about 1 in 5 of new homes built in the U.S. each year. Powered by its proprietary hourly energy algorithm, Ekotrope RATER streamlines and automates every step of energy modeling from hourly savings calculations to utility program requirements verification.

Ekotrope makes energy efficiency easy. Combining technological innovation with tools for real-time collaboration, smart decision making and support, Ekotrope RATER takes the guesswork out of home energy ratings. In 2020, Ekotrope’s clients completed over 200,000 HERS ratings in all 50 states as well as Washington, D.C. Ekotrope has also become the software partner of choice for residential new construction energy efficient programs in the U.S. For details, visit www.ekotrope.com and follow on LinkedIn or the Ekotrope blog for updates.

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SOURCE energyOrbit

NERA leads oil and gas giants in collaboration to address Australia’s decommissioning challenge

Centre of Decommissioning Australia (CODA) to address aging O&G infrastructure
Study shows a need for +$50bn of decommission work, much of it urgent
CODA launches call for proposals for foundation projects

PERTH, Australia, March 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The Centre of Decommissioning Australia (CODA) has today been officially launched, heralding a much-needed collaborative effort to address the challenges and maximise the…

Centre of Decommissioning Australia (CODA) to address aging O&G infrastructure
Study shows a need for +$50bn of decommission work, much of it urgent
CODA launches call for proposals for foundation projects

To be officially launched at the AOG Energy conference, CODA has been established by Perth-based National Energy Resources Australia (NERA), the industry-led, not-for-profit organisation established in 2015 as part of the Federal Government’s Industry Growth Centre initiative, with the goal of driving innovation, productivity and enhancing competitiveness in the energy resources sector.

In an unprecedented move, CODA brings together many of the world’s major oil and gas companies – Chevron, Woodside Energy, Santos Limited, Esso Australia Pty Ltd, Vermilion Oil and Gas Australia and BHP – as well as many leading service and research organisations such as Baker Hughes, Atteris, Linch-Pin, AGR, Curtin University and Xodus Group.

Federal Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia Keith Pitt MP today welcomed the establishment of the new decommissioning body.

«Congratulations to NERA for the establishment of the Centre of Decommissioning Australia. We all want to ensure we have a sound regulatory framework and that the offshore oil and gas industry can manage current and future decommissioning challenges.»

WA Mines and Petroleum Minister, Bill Johnston MLA, echoed Minister Pitt’s message.

«Western Australia is already a global hub for the oil and gas sector, accounting for 60 per cent of Australia’s LNG exports in 2019, and now has the potential to be a world-leading centre for decommissioning.

«Congratulations to NERA on launching this impressive initiative.»

NERA’s Chief Executive Miranda Taylor said the launch of CODA marked an important step in maximising value for the community, the environment and for Australian industry.

«We’re looking at $50 billion of work over the next 50 years, so decommissioning represents a multi-generational challenge for Australia. CODA will play a critical role in transforming our approach to late life planning and decommissioning and maximising the value of these activities for Australia’s community, environment, industry, economy and future.»

«NERA is an expert facilitator, bringing our stakeholders together to work on collaborative solutions, like those required to reduce decommissioning costs, create opportunity for local suppliers and improve our understanding of the impact of decommissioning decisions.»

In 2020 NERA commissioned the first assessment of Australia’s offshore decommissioning liability, produced with support and involvement from oil and gas operators.

The report by Advisian, Worley’s global consulting business, concluded that there is more than $50 billion (US$40.5 billion) of necessary decommissioning work on Australia’s offshore oil and gas infrastructure, over half of which needs to be started within the next ten years.

With the study highlighting the urgency of the situation, CODA will now lead the way on supporting industry, government, the community and other stakeholders to ensure that these activities actively seek to maximise opportunities for local service and technology companies in local and regional decommissioning projects.

Chevron Director of Operations, Kory Judd, said: «Industry has a responsibility to manage asset retirement in an environmentally responsible and efficient manner while ensuring opportunities to deliver long-term environmental and socio-economic outcomes for Australia.

«By providing a focal point for collaboration, technology sharing, and local capability opportunities, CODA will enable a coordinated approach to drive positive asset retirement results for the benefit of all stakeholders.»

Woodside Senior Vice President Operations, Fiona Hick, said: «Decommissioning will become increasingly prominent in our industry in Australia in coming years. The launch of CODA presents industry with a fantastic opportunity through which to share best practice and to further contribute to undertaking decommissioning safely and efficiently, while delivering benefits to the environment and local communities.»

Graham Gillies, VP of Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea at Baker Hughes, said, «Decommissioning oil and gas infrastructure in a safe and responsible manner is critical for the future of the industry and for energy transition. As an energy technology company, we are excited to join the Center of Decommissioning Australia (CODA) network and to work closely with the oil and gas operators in Australia to carefully plan and execute decommissioning projects, leveraging our local resources and expertise in onshore and offshore environments.»

To mark today’s launch CODA has announced a series of foundation projects designed to rapidly accelerate cross-industry understanding of our decommissioning challenge.

These are:

Understanding Opportunities for Local Disposal and Recycling
A Global Review of Decommissioning Planning and Execution Learnings
Development of a Decommissioning Innovation and Technology Roadmap

These projects, along with other work being progressed by CODA, represent critical early-stage building blocks in delivering CODA’s objective of maximising value for Australia from decommissioning activities.

CODA’s launch is the second major announcement in as many months for NERA having just weeks ago unveiled a network of hydrogen technology clusters across the country, designed to help establish a global identity and a recognised brand for Australian hydrogen technology and expertise.

Notes:

The Call for Proposals will be open until 9 April 2021.
More details are available on the NERA website.

About NERA:
NERA is an independent not for profit company funded through Federal Government grants and collaborative programs by state/territory governments, industry and the science and research community. NERA is working with our partners to catalyse low emissions and digital technologies to support Australia’s energy transition, and to grow innovative SMES and supply chains. We work with our energy sector partners to improve Australia’s performance in the commercialisation of innovation and the scale up of technologies and to help Australian industry to diversify and decarbonise.

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SOURCE National Energy Resources Australia (NERA)

New Project Media Announces Launch of its Next-Generation 2.0 Platform

PRINCETON, N.J., March 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Breakout intelligence+data digital service New Project Media has announced the formal launch of its next-generation 2.0 platform for the growing developer and project finance community.

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With a mission to help renewable energy professionals get the competitive edge, NPM enables stakeholders to originate deal flow across the solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and storage sectors, identify risks and opportunities around legislation and regulation, and monitor developer and IPP strategy and performance.

Thousands of developers, law firms, banks, utilities, suppliers and corporate buyers increasingly rely on NPM to deliver real-time, actionable intelligence and data products.

NPM’s global team of journalists, analysts and experts provide exclusive, in-depth coverage and reports across clean energy sectors. With the new 2.0 platform, NPM subscribers will now have access to 3,000+ projects covering all states and counties across 13 sectors, 6,000 renewable industry organizations searchable by role and state presence, over 10,000 lifecycle project milestones from pre-development to commercial operation date, and real-time RFPs with live documents and issuance history.

«NPM was founded on the idea that our unique approach of combining best-in-class data and intel would help renewable developers and project finance professionals originate deal flow in North America,» said Ken Meehan, NPM Founder & CEO. «With the release of our 2.0 platform, we’ve massively upgraded the connectivity between our RFP, Project Tracker and Intel content and established a strong foundation for enhanced personalization and easier access to new data products.»

Subscribers to NPM have touted the platform’s early stage leads in providing the edge when it comes to bidding opportunities, proposal deadlines, and daily insights into project development, up-and-coming legislation, and risk management.

«We’re excited by the opportunity to build a service that helps our subscribers grow their businesses to address the massive challenge of combating climate change,» Meehan said.

About NPM
Founded in 2019, New Project Media is committed to improving the actionable data + intelligence available for the growing renewable energy project development community.

New Project Media
252 Nassau Street
Princeton, New Jersey 08542
www.newprojectmedia.com

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SOURCE New Project Media

Black Homeowners Earned $59,000 in Home Equity in 2020, Compared With $50,000 for White Homeowners

SEATTLE, March 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — (NASDAQ: RDFN) — People who bought homes in primarily Black neighborhoods in 2019 gained a median $59,000 in home equity last year, compared with $50,000 for people who bought homes in primarily white neighborhoods, according to a new report from Redfin (redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage. Equity grew more for people who bought homes in primarily Asian and Hispanic neighborhoods—by $79,000 and $67,000, respectively.

For the purposes of this report, a neighborhood is considered primarily one race or another if more than 50% of the owner-occupied households are Black, Hispanic, Asian or white, as identified in the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. We calculated home-equity gains throughout 2020 for each neighborhood type for homeowners who purchased a home anytime during 2019, using January 2021 Redfin Estimates as a proxy for current market value. The terms «Black homeowner,» «white homeowner,» etc. are used throughout this report to refer to a person who bought a home in a neighborhood of primarily one race or another in 2019.

Median gains in home equity by primary race of neighborhood from 2019 to January 2021
	Median home equity in 2019	Median home equity in January 2021	Median dollar gain in home equity	Percentage gain in median home equity
Asian neighborhoods	$178,000	$257,000	$79,000	44%
Black neighborhoods	$30,000	$89,000	$59,000	197%
Hispanic neighborhoods	$35,000	$102,000	$67,000	191%
White neighborhoods	$63,000	$113,000	$50,000	79%

While Black homeowners gained more wealth through home equity than white homeowners last year, the trend is a reversal from the previous decade, when homeowners of color saw their home values and home equity recover more slowly from the Great Recession.

People who bought homes in primarily Black neighborhoods in 2019 currently have a median of $89,000 in home equity, the smallest amount of the four races included in this analysis. That’s compared with $257,000 for Asian homeowners, $113,000 for white homeowners and $102,000 for Hispanic homeowners.

Black homeowners started with much lower equity—a median of $30,000 in 2019—than their Asian ($178,000) and white ($63,000) counterparts, and slightly less than the typical Hispanic homeowner ($35,000). The difference in equity in 2019 was primarily driven by the fact that Black homebuyers made smaller down payments than buyers of other races, due to lower home prices and putting down a smaller percentage of the sale price.

Even though Black homeowners still have less equity than white homeowners, the home-equity gap between Black and white Americans is narrowing. That’s largely because significant gains in home values, which increase equity above initial down payments, fueled equity gains from 2019 to January 2021 for homeowners of all races. The typical homeowner in a primarily white neighborhood had $33,000 more home equity than the typical homeowner in a primarily Black neighborhood in 2019, a gap that had shrunk to $24,000 by January 2021.

Homeowners in Black neighborhoods experienced a nearly 200% home-equity increase in 2020, a huge increase that’s mostly due to low equity pre-pandemic

Black homeowners nationwide who bought their homes in 2019 saw a 197% increase in home equity last year, a bigger percentage increase than the other races. Home equity increased 191% for Hispanic homeowners, 79% for white homeowners and 44% for Asian homeowners. Black homeowners starting out with lower equity than the other races is a key reason for the larger percentage jump.

Black Americans are least likely to be homeowners. The homeownership rate for Black families was 44.1% in the fourth quarter of 2020, the most recent time period for which data is available. That’s steady from 44% in the fourth quarter of 2019, but it had been on the rise before the pandemic, with a jump up from the 42.9% rate in the fourth quarter of 2018. The current homeownership rate for white families is significantly higher than it is for Black families: 74.5% in the fourth quarter of 2020, up slightly from 73.7% a year earlier. The homeownership rate for Asian families increased from 57.6% to 59.5% over the same time period, and it went from 48.1% to 49.1% for Hispanic families.

«Black homeowners benefited from 2020’s hot housing market, and the trend is continuing into this year as Americans remain intensely interested in relocating and buying homes and home values continue to rise,» said Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather. «But less than half of Black Americans own the home they live in, so most of the Black community didn’t benefit from the enormous wealth homeowners have gained in the past year. Especially compared with the three-quarters of white Americans who own their homes, the total benefit for Black families across the country is relatively small. With higher unemployment rates and less overall wealth, Black families were not as likely as white families to buy homes even when prices were comparatively low.»

«Now that prices are so high and the pandemic has contributed to high unemployment, especially for Black workers, it’s even more difficult for people who don’t already own homes to break into the housing market,» Fairweather continued. «There is a major need and a big opportunity for policymakers to enact programs like down-payment assistance and zoning reform to help narrow the homeownership gap and enable more Black families to build wealth through home equity.»

Black homeowners in Chicago, Newark and Washington, D.C. have seen enormous home-equity gains, mostly because equity was so low pre-pandemic

People who bought homes in primarily Black neighborhoods in Chicago in 2019 experienced the biggest percentage equity gain of the metro areas included in this analysis, with a 750% increase from 2019 to January 2021. The increase is so big partly because median home equity was just $8,000 in 2019, compared with $68,000 in January 2021.

Next come Newark and Washington, D.C., which also saw huge percentage increases for Black homeowners from 2019 to January 2021: 626% and 425%, respectively. Median home equity went from $19,000 to $138,000 in Newark, and $16,000 to $84,000 in Washington, D.C.

All of the metros included in this analysis experienced home-equity gains for Black homeowners—and homeowners of all other races—over that time period. The typical Black homeowner in Jacksonville gained 62% in equity from 2019 to January 2021, the smallest percentage gain of any metro included in this analysis, from $45,000 to $73,000.

To view the full report, including charts and methodology, please visit: https://www.redfin.com/news/home-equity-by-race-black-homeowners/

About Redfin
Redfin (www.redfin.com) is a technology-powered residential real estate company, redefining real estate in the consumer’s favor in a commission-driven industry. We do this by integrating every step of the home buying and selling process and pairing our own agents with our own technology, creating a service that is faster, better and costs less. We offer brokerage, iBuying, mortgage, and title services, and we also run the country’s #1 nationwide brokerage website, offering a host of online tools to consumers, including the Redfin Estimate. We represent people buying and selling homes in over 95 markets in the United States and Canada. Since our launch in 2006, we have saved our customers nearly $1 billion and we’ve helped them buy or sell more than 310,000 homes worth more than $152 billion.

For more information or to contact a local Redfin real estate agent, visit www.redfin.com. To learn about housing market trends and download data, visit the Redfin Data Center. To be added to Redfin’s press release distribution list, email press@redfin.com. To view Redfin’s press center, click here.

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SOURCE Redfin

BlackBerry AtHoc Introduces Derived Credentials and FedRAMP Authorization on AWS to Better Support U.S. Federal Government’s Cloud and Mobile Strategy

SAN RAMON, Calif., March 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) today announced new technology advancements to <a target="_blank"…

SAN RAMON, Calif., March 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) today announced new technology advancements to BlackBerry® AtHoc that will improve how U.S. Federal agencies communicate and collaborate during times of crisis, and reduce the risk of unauthorized access to Federal data, systems and applications. BlackBerry AtHoc, the first EMNS solution to achieve FedRAMP Authorization is now the first to support Derived Credentials for identity authentication on a mobile device. In addition, BlackBerry has added AWS GovCloud to its cloud infrastructure, making BlackBerry AtHoc services the most widely available EMNS solution to the Federal government.

A recent report found that 67% of breaches are caused by credential theft and social engineering attacks that capitalized on moments in time like COVID-19. To protect Federal employees, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) mandates all Federal departments use Derived Credentials for identity proofing on mobile devices. Support for Derived Credentials within the BlackBerry AtHoc mobile app will allow Federal customers to ensure authentication and authorization to sensitive data when using the app for instant messaging, sending or responding to notifications.

«For U.S. Federal government agencies where the stakes are high, they cannot afford a cybersecurity breach,» said Dubhe Beinhorn, Vice President of BlackBerry AtHoc Federal Sales. «The combination of securing the Federal mobile workforce using Derived Credentials along with implementing best-in-class security, protection, and compliance services in the FedRAMP-Azure and -AWS environments makes BlackBerry AtHoc the most secure solution for critical event management and emergency mass notification in the market.»

BlackBerry is the only vendor that can provide FedRAMP-Authorized emergency mass notification system (EMNS) services to government customers across the two leading government-certified hosting environments. BlackBerry AtHoc achieved FedRAMP Authorization on Microsoft Azure Cloud in 2017 and has successfully completed the FedRAMP audit to add AWS GovCloud to its infrastructure. Running BlackBerry AtHoc simultaneously in both the Azure and AWS cloud environments helps to ensure service redundancy and prevent service disruption if one of the cloud environments experiences an outage.

BlackBerry AtHoc is trusted by government, military, commercial and humanitarian organizations around the world including over 70% of U.S. Federal Government employees. The Department of Energy-National Nuclear Security Administration-Kansas City Field Office recently awarded BlackBerry AtHoc its 14th «Authority to Operate» (ATO), joining federal agencies, including the Department of Transportation, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Justice, Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Treasury, and Department of Veterans Affairs.

To learn more, visit BlackBerry AtHoc and follow @BlackBerryAtHoc.

About BlackBerry
BlackBerry (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) provides intelligent security software and services to enterprises and governments around the world. The company secures more than 500M endpoints including 175M cars on the road today. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, the company leverages AI and machine learning to deliver innovative solutions in the areas of cybersecurity, safety and data privacy solutions, and is a leader in the areas of endpoint security, endpoint management, encryption, and embedded systems. BlackBerry’s vision is clear – to secure a connected future you can trust.

BlackBerry. Intelligent Security. Everywhere.

For more information, visit BlackBerry.com and follow @BlackBerry.

Trademarks, including but not limited to BLACKBERRY and EMBLEM Design are the trademarks or registered trademarks of BlackBerry Limited, and the exclusive rights to such trademarks are expressly reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. BlackBerry is not responsible for any third-party products or services.

Media Contact:
BlackBerry Media Relations
+1 (519) 597-7273
mediarelations@BlackBerry.com

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SOURCE BlackBerry Limited