Five became one this week, as Tendril and Simple Energy announced that they are merging, hauling along the three smaller firms that Tendril has snapped up in the past few months – fueled by a recent investment round. There’s been no talk of money changing hands, but the merger creates a very capable utility software provider that shows no signs of slowing down. The two firms are both based in Colorado, and now Uplight is looking to become the main provider for utilities’ customer-centric software and analytics. Uplight now has some 75 customers in North America, which collectively account for 100mn end-customers – with Tendril and Simple Energy often sharing utility customers. With 350 staff, Uplight is not planning layoffs,…