Open Sustainability Analyst

Setup guide · Render

Sustainability report analysis with AI on Render

Deploy Open Sustainability Analyst on Render for sustainability report analysis with AI — built-in ESRS and TCFD frameworks, your OpenAI key, step-by-step screenshots. Streamlit guide · Customize ESRS frameworks

About 10–15 minutes No credit card for Render’s free plan An OpenAI account with billing
1. Deploy on Render 2. Add your OpenAI key

Part 1

Deploy sustainability report analysis with AI on Render

One-click deploy — Render runs your private copy in the cloud.

Open the one-click deploy link to begin:

Deploy to Render

Or copy this link: https://render.com/deploy?repo=https://github.com/climateandtech/report-analyst

  1. Sign in to Render and open the deploy link

    Click Deploy to Render below. Create a free Render account if needed — no credit card. Sign in with GitHub, Google, or email.

    Render sign-in screen with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Google options
    Sign in to Render — or create a free account.

  2. Review the blueprint and deploy

    Render reads the blueprint from the Open Sustainability Analyst repo. Name your deployment, keep branch main, click Deploy Blueprint.

    Render blueprint deploy screen showing blueprint name, main branch and Deploy Blueprint button
    Name your blueprint, keep branch “main”, and click Deploy Blueprint.

  3. Wait while Render creates everything

    Render builds the app, database, and web service — usually a few minutes. Watch progress under Syncs; green checks mean it is done.

    Render blueprint dashboard showing a sync in progress
    The blueprint sync runs — creating the database and web service.
    Render sync results with green checkmarks for database and web service
    Green checks mean the resources were created successfully.

  4. Open your new app

    On your report-analyst service page, open the public .onrender.com URL. On the free plan the service may take a few seconds to wake up on first visit.

    Render web service header showing the service name, Service ID and the public onrender.com URL
    Find your app’s address at the top of the service page (yours will differ from this example).
    Render start-up log with “Welcome to Render” and service waking up messages
    On first visit the service wakes up and starts.

  5. Expect an “API key” message on the first run

    Without an OpenAI key yet, the app shows “No valid API keys found.” That is normal — add your key in Part 2.

    Streamlit error: No valid API keys found. Set either OPENAI_API_KEY or GOOGLE_API_KEY
    Seeing this? Good — it just means the app is running and needs your key.

Part 2

Get your OpenAI API key and add it to the app

Add your own OpenAI key — usage is billed to your account.

A. Create your OpenAI API key

  1. Create an OpenAI API key

    Sign in at platform.openai.com/api-keys (separate from ChatGPT). Click Create API key, name it (e.g. Open Sustainability Analyst), then Create secret key.

    OpenAI platform sidebar with “API keys” selected and a list of keys
    Open the API keys page from the left-hand menu.
    OpenAI “Create API key” button
    Click “Create API key”.
    OpenAI “Create new secret key” dialog with a name field
    Name the key, then click “Create secret key”.

  2. Copy the key right away

    Copy the sk-… key immediately — OpenAI shows it only once.

    Treat it like a password. Never share it or commit it to a public repository.

    OpenAI “Save your key” dialog with a masked secret key and a Copy button
    Use “Copy”, then store the key safely — you cannot view it again.

  3. Enable billing

    API usage is billed separately from ChatGPT. Add a payment method or credits under Settings → Billing.

B. Add the key to your app on Render

  1. Open Environment on Render

    In your report-analyst service, go to Manage → Environment.

    Render left-hand Manage menu with the Environment item highlighted
    Manage → Environment.

  2. Paste your OpenAI key

    Find the empty OPENAI_API_KEY row and paste your sk-… key — no extra spaces.

    Render environment variables table showing OPENAI_API_MODEL set and an empty OPENAI_API_KEY row
    The OPENAI_API_KEY row is empty — that is the one to fill in.
    Render environment variables table with the OPENAI_API_KEY value field focused to insert the key
    Paste your secret key into the OPENAI_API_KEY value field.

  3. Save, rebuild, and deploy

    Click Save, rebuild, and deploy. When it finishes, reload your .onrender.com URL and start analysing sustainability reports with ESRS and TCFD frameworks.

    Render “Save, rebuild, and deploy” button
    Save, rebuild, and deploy — then reload your app.

Troubleshooting

I still see “No valid API keys found”

Open Environment again and confirm OPENAI_API_KEY has your key (no spaces), that you clicked Save, and that the service finished redeploying before you refreshed the app.

I get an authentication or 401 error

The key may be revoked, mistyped, or billing is not active. Create a fresh key on the OpenAI platform and make sure you have credits under Settings → Billing.

The app is slow to open

On Render’s free plan the service goes to sleep when idle and takes around 30 seconds to wake up on the next visit. This is normal.

Need a hand?

Need guided help or a managed setup? Use Setup or contact us.

Setup Contact us Customize ESRS frameworks Streamlit setup guide View on GitHub