Artificial intelligence is transforming what it means to live and operate in an increasingly digital world. Yet as AI workloads expand and data centers multiply, they are also driving unprecedented demand for power, placing new pressures on energy systems and power grids around the globe.

The challenge is not simply generating more electricity. It is delivering power in a way that balances reliability, resilience, and innovation – three fundamentally distinct qualities.

The complexity is reflected in the nature of AI itself. While AI strains power grids and creates resiliency risks, it is also becoming one of the most powerful tools available in improving energy forecasting, optimizing operations, and strengthening grid management.

It is within this context that industry leaders are rethinking how energy systems are designed and delivered.

For Rehlko, this presents an opportunity to challenge the notion that infrastructure growth must come at the expense of sustainability. Ryan DeLoge, sustainability manager at Rehlko, argues that with the right planning, technologies, and long-term thinking, organizations can achieve both – without sacrificing performance:

“As AI continues to grow and develop, we need more energy to support its growth, and how we do that sustainably has been the ultimate opportunity for us to help build more sustainable operations that deliver speed-to-power and sustainability at the same time.”

This long-term perspective is fundamental, because the infrastructure decisions made today will shape the pace and flexibility of future energy transitions. As the company puts it: Near‑term capacity choices can either preserve or permanently limit future decarbonization options.

The role of energy resilience in decarbonization

Drawing on a decade of experience in corporate sustainability, DeLoge and other leaders at Rehlko have spent the past two years at Rehlko focused on connecting energy resilience solutions with decarbonization. For DeLoge, sustainability and energy resilience mutually reinforce one another.

But true energy resilience goes beyond simply having confidence that reliable power will be available when it’s needed most; it must also ensure that today’s energy decisions do not limit future decarbonization opportunities.

“Sustainability is about meeting today’s needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. Energy resilience is what makes that possible – allowing us to meet current demand while designing systems that support future decarbonization without compromising reliability,” says DeLoge, adding:

“Rather than treating it as a standalone initiative, sustainability works best when it’s integrated in a way that creates business value and aligns with customer needs.”

Whether organizations pursue full-scale decarbonization or take more incremental steps – through technologies such as backup power systems using Rehlko’s Conscious Care or prime power solutions using combined cooling, heat, and power – building a path to long-term value creation that strengthens both business performance and sustainability outcomes remains the overarching goal.

Building credibility through action and reporting

For most operators, the path to energy resilience does not begin with a clean slate. It starts with existing infrastructure and legacy assets, alongside the realities of today’s energy landscape and the speed-to-power demands of critical infrastructure. But that doesn’t have to come at the cost of sustainability, as DeLoge explains:

“Speed-to-power is something our industry needs to support ever-growing demand, and showing that you can do that sustainably is exactly what we’re trying to do.”

Rehlko’s commitment to sustainability is manifested in the release of its second annual Powering Impact report. Structured around three pillars – resilient products and services, operational excellence, and engaging communities – the report sets out the sustainability priorities that underpin decision-making.

The report focuses on Rehlko’s own operations and the actions being taken to reduce environmental impact. Since its 2023 baseline, the company has achieved a 19.6 percent reduction in Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions while diverting 81.2 percent of operational waste from landfill, demonstrating how measurable improvements can be embedded across the business.

“Having this report out there helps to educate our industry on how you can meet a speed-to-power need without compromising sustainability,” says DeLoge.

“Having this report out there helps to educate our industry on how you can meet a speed-to-power need without compromising sustainability,” says DeLoge.

Transition and intelligence

Alongside these operational initiatives, Rehlko’s Structured Transition Model (STM) provides a practical framework to help customers navigate their own decarbonization journey.

Rather than requiring organizations to replace existing infrastructure, the STM enables them to make incremental investments that meet today’s resilience requirements while preserving flexibility to adopt lower-carbon technologies as they become commercially and operationally viable.

Complementing the STM is Powering Impact Intelligence (PII), which gives operators real-time visibility into the performance of their power systems. Together, the STM provides the strategic framework for transition, while PII delivers the operational insights that help organizations measure performance, optimize efficiency, and make informed decisions as they progress toward their sustainability goals.

For example, operators can get access to verified Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) data tailored to their use cases and compare microgrid designs against local grid mixes, from nuclear-heavy solutions popular in France to more fossil-intensive grids elsewhere.

The platform includes the EPD Carbon Calculator and the Decarbonization Modeler – two interactive tools that together enable customers to quantify the environmental impact of power solutions throughout their lifecycle, assessing embodied carbon at the product level while modeling region-specific decarbonization pathways through scenario-based analysis.

Ultimately, Rehlko’s approach reinforces the central point that there is no single blueprint for sustainable energy resilience, but it is a tangible and achievable goal to begin pursuing today, and the Powering Impact report serves as a practical expression of that.

Conscious Care

Across the industry, DeLoge notes that ambitious sustainability goals are often constrained by the availability of commercial solutions. Sustainable fuels such as biodiesel or HVO may not yet be available at the scale every operator requires, but investing in HVO-compatible equipment today can help future-proof infrastructure as fuel availability expands.

For example, Rehlko’s full power generator range has been HVO-compatible since 2023, giving operators the flexibility to transition to lower-carbon fuels when supply and operational requirements allow. The report highlights this significance, whereby switching to HVO fuel at Rehlko’s Brest manufacturing site contributed to a 50 percent reduction in total annual GHG emissions in 2023.

“The biggest revelation was that you don’t have to wait for sustainable fuel or a new technology – there are things you can do right now with existing infrastructure and existing diesel fuels that help you at least start the path of decarbonization,” says DeLoge.

One example is maintenance innovation, such as through Rehlko’s Conscious Care program, which can significantly reduce emissions from generator testing without requiring new equipment or alternative fuels. The program can reduce up to 71 percent of testing emissions using existing infrastructure during periodic diesel-fuelled exercises, compared to the standard 30-minute monthly test protocol.

As operators transition to lower-carbon fuels, combining the program with HVO can increase emissions reductions up to 98 percent, illustrating how operational efficiencies and fuel choice can work together to accelerate decarbonization.

A future-conscious approach also extends to hybridization, which DeLoge sees as a critical step toward long-term decarbonization:

“You have to accept hybridization as a solution if you really want to continue to move the needle when it comes to decarbonization.”

Real-world impact

While Rehlko is supporting the energy transition through its portfolio of sustainable backup power generation solutions, grid-support technologies, and energy resilience capabilities, sustainability isn't just about the tech – it's about people and social responsibility.

Through collaboration across its sustainability, communications, and human resources teams, the company is focused on creating meaningful impact for the communities it serves, highlighted throughout the latest impact report.

In 2025 alone, the company invested over $400,000 in local communities through team member-led initiatives, donated 200+ generators to nonprofit organizations supporting disaster-stricken regions, and helped protect more than 200 rare species within its biodiversity park in India.

The report also highlights Rehlko’s nearly decade-long partnership with Electriciens sans frontières (Electricians Without Borders, ESF), supporting communities affected by humanitarian crises and natural disasters. As the report states:

“We have helped restore electricity in communities recovering from natural disasters and humanitarian crises around the world during events such as Cyclones Irma and Maria, the Beirut port explosion, and the crisis in Ukraine. Most recently, our contributions supported emergency power deployments following Cyclone Chido in Mayotte.”

Beyond emergency response efforts, Rehlko continues to invest in the next generation of energy professionals. At its Lagos, Nigeria, facility, the company exceeded its 2025 target of engaging 1,000 young people through STEM and energy career initiatives by eight percent – more than 40 percent of which were girls and women.

Together, these initiatives show how Rehlko is turning its sustainability commitments into tangible environmental and social impact.

The bigger picture

Publishing sustainability and impact reports has become a business imperative – helping customers, investors, and other stakeholders understand how environmental commitments translate into measurable action.

The publication of the Powering Impact report is therefore about more than disclosing performance metrics. It reflects Rehlko’s commitment to being transparent about where progress has been made, where challenges remain, and how sustainability is being embedded into day-to-day operations rather than treated as a standalone initiative. Like many organizations across the industry, Rehlko recognizes that there is still more work to do.

So while the figures themselves matter, DeLoge believes the broader lesson is one of accountability:

“If you were just putting out thought leadership without being able to show some of your own sustainability efforts, policies, and programs, I think it would be fair to be met with some skepticism. In order to talk the talk, you have to start walking the walk.”

Progress, he suggests, matters more than perfection – provided it is measurable, transparent, and grounded in real-world systems.

As technologies, regulations, and customer expectations continue to evolve, sustainability is increasingly understood not as a destination but as an ongoing process of learning, adaptation, and improvement. For Rehlko, that means continuing to measure progress, being open about the work still to be done, and supporting customers as they navigate their own sustainability journeys.

Download Rehlko’s Powering Impact report for full insights across its operations here.