The largest climatetech incubator in North America has named an Obama Administration appointee as its next CEO.| Energy Capital
Gow, founder of The Cannon, is taking on a new role as Head of Houston at Greentown Labs.| Energy Capital
Greentown Labs, which is co-located in the Boston and Houston areas, has announced its current CEO is stepping down after less than a year in the position.| Energy Capital
Greentown Labs, a climatech incubator with locations in Houston and Somerville, Massachusetts, has hired Naheed Malik as its chief financial officer.| Energy Capital
Houston and Boston climate tech incubator Greentown Labs has named Georgina Campbell Flatter as the organization’s incoming CEO.| Energy Capital
Greentown Labs announced the six startups to join its Houston community in Q2 of 2025.| Energy Capital
To support rising demand for power, Houston-based utility company CenterPoint Energy has launched a $65 billion, 10-year capital improvement plan. CenterPoint said that in its four-state service territory — Texas, Indiana, Minnesota and Ohio — the money will go toward building and maintaining a “resilient” electric grid and a safe natural gas system. In the Houston area, CenterPoint forecasts peak demand for electricity will increase nearly 50 percent, to almost 31 gigawatts, by 2031 ...| Energy Capital
Two University of Houston science projects have been selected as finalists for the Gulf Futures Challenge, which will award a total of $50 million to develop ideas that help benefit the Gulf Coast. Sponsored by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine’s Gulf Coast Research Program and Lever for Change, the competition is designed to spark innovation around problems in the Gulf Coast, such as rising sea levels, pollution, energy security, and community resiliency. The two ...| Energy Capital
As AI data centers gobble up more electricity, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) — whose grid supplies power to 90 percent of Texas — has launched an initiative to help meet challenges presented by an increasingly strained power grid. ERCOT, based in the Austin suburb of Taylor, said its new Grid Research, Innovation, and Transformation (GRIT) initiative will tackle research and prototyping of emerging technology and concepts to “deeply understand the implications of rap...| Energy Capital
As Texas places a $350 million bet on nuclear energy, a budget and policy adviser for Gov. Greg Abbott has been tapped to head the newly created Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office. Jarred Shaffer is now director of the nuclear energy office, which administers the $350 million Texas Advanced Nuclear Development Fund. The fund will distribute grants earmarked for the development of more nuclear reactors in Texas. Abbott said Shaffer’s expertise in energy will help Texas streamline nuclear r...| Energy Capital
Editor's note: October is here, and there are many energy events to plug into in Houston this month. From summits and forums to global conferences, there are the energy events to put on your calendar. Learn more below, and register now. Oct. 7-8: Annual Energy Summit — Resilience in Energy Supply Chains The ninth annual energy summit is co-hosted by Baker Botts and the Center for Energy Studies at Rice University's Baker Institute. This year's theme, “Resilience in Energy Supply Chains,...| Energy Capital
In a new blog post spotlighting Houston-based geothermal power startup Fervo Energy, billionaire Bill Gates — a Fervo investor — predicts geothermal will eventually supply up to 20 percent of the world’s electricity, up from his previous estimate of as much as 5 percent. Today, geothermal accounts for less than 1 percent of electricity generated around the world, according to the International Energy Agency. The agency forecasts geothermal will represent up to 15 percent of global power...| Energy Capital
Houston industrial biotech company Cemvita has announced two strategic moves to advance its operations in Brazil. The company, which utilizes synthetic biology to transform carbon emissions into valuable bio-based chemicals, acquired a complementary technology that expands its IP and execution of scale-up capacity, according to a news release. The acquisition will bring additional synthetic biology toolsets that Cemvita believes will assist with compressing and commercializing timelines. The ...| Energy Capital
Editor's note: We're looking back at the biggest Houston energy transition stories for the second half of September. From Hobby's new solar canopy to the most promising clean tech startups, here's the top energy news to know from September 15-30, 2025: 1. Hobby debuts solar canopy as airport system reaches new sustainability milestone Houston's William P. Hobby Airport is generating its own clean energy. Houston Airports announced that Hobby's red garage is now home to a "solar canopy" that i...| Energy Capital
Greentown Labs has partnered with Los Angeles-based software development firm Nominal to launch the new Industrial Center of Excellence at Greentown's Houston incubator. Nominal will provide access to its connected test and operations stack to help engineers working at Greentown Houston startups boost their "efficiency, automation, and scalability," according to a news release. The news comes just a few days after Greentown announced a partnership with Houston-based EnergyTech Nexus, which wi...| Energy Capital
CPS Energy, which services San Antonio, has agreed to acquire four state-of-the-art natural gas power generation facilities in the Houston area from Missouri-based PROENERGY for $1.387 billion, according to a release. The recently constructed plants have an aggregate electric capacity of 1,632 megawatts and are located in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) markets in Harris, Brazoria and Galveston counties. The assets are dual-fuel capable, which would allow CPS Energy to trans...| Energy Capital
In today’s ever-changing digital world, the way we teach kids about science is rapidly transforming. Energy education, specifically, is expanding and contributing to the STEM landscape significantly. Helping children understand where energy comes from, how we use it in our everyday lives and how it affects our planet is critical to sparking early interest in STEM learning and inspiring potential careers in the energy industry. Thanks to new technology and the power of artificial intelligenc...| Energy Capital
Japan-based HVAC manufacturer Daikin has struck a five-year deal with Houston-based Engie North America to fully power its Texas facilities with renewable energy. The deal includes Daikin Texas Technology Park (DTTP), home to the company’s North American headquarters and its largest factory (and one of the largest factories in the world). The more than $500 million, 4.2 million-square-foot campus sits on nearly 500 acres in Waller. The technology park, which held its grand opening in 2017, ...| Energy Capital
Four Houston energy and chemical giants have just landed on Forbes' new ranking of "America's Best Employers for Company Culture." The report highlights six more Houston-area companies for their inspiring company culture. Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista to survey over 218,000 workers at companies with at least 1,000 employees throughout the U.S, and relied on data from the past three years of employee surveys (with an emphasis on the most recent data and recommendations fr...| Energy Capital
PV Hardware USA, a provider of solar tracking and foundation solutions, has announced the opening of its second U.S. manufacturing facility in Houston, which is expected to create more than 100 jobs locally and strengthen domestic production capacity for solar energy facilities. “Opening our second U.S. manufacturing facility represents an exciting step forward in our growth journey and demonstrates our commitment to the U.S. market,” Rodolfo Bitar, VP of Business Development for PVH USA,...| Energy Capital
As data centers expand, their energy demands rise as well. Researchers at Rice University have discovered a way to capture low-temperature waste heat from data centers and convert it back into usable power. The team has introduced a novel solar thermal-boosted organic Rankine cycle (ORC)—a power system that uses a safe working fluid to make electricity from heat. The design incorporates low-cost rooftop flat-plate solar collectors, which warm the data center’s coolant stream before it ent...| Energy Capital
EnergyTech Nexus will move into Greentown Labs and plans to open an investor lounge on-site| Energy Capital
Houston-based Engie North America, which specializes in generating low-carbon power, has sealed a preliminary deal to supply wind power to a Cipher Mining data center in Texas.| Energy Capital
Sage Geosystems and Fervo Energy were among the top five on LexisNexis's 10 Most Innovative Startups in Texas report.| Energy Capital
Houston-based geothermal energy startup Fervo Energy has been named North American Company of the Year by research and consulting firm Cleantech Group.| Energy Capital
Investors at the Rice Alliance Energy Tech Venture Forum have named the 10 most-promising startups among the group of 100 clean tech companies participating in the event. The 22nd annual event was held yesterday, Sept. 18, at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business and was part of the second Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week. The most-promising startups will receive $7,000 in in-kind legal services from Baker Botts. The 10 most-promising companies included: Houston-based X...| Energy Capital
Local organizations will celebrate solar, wind and renewable energy this Sunday, Sept. 21, during Sun Day Houston. Timed with the autumn equinox, the inaugural event will bring together speakers, exhibits, workshops and hands-on activities that promote the adoption of clean power sources outside of Christ the King Lutheran Church at 2353 Rice Blvd., near Rice University. It will take place from 2-4:30 p.m. Featured speakers include: Daniel Cohan, professor of civil and environmental engineeri...| Energy Capital
Houston's William P. Hobby Airport is generating its own clean energy. Houston Aiports announced that Hobby's red garage is now home to a "solar canopy" that is producing energy at 100 percent capacity to power daily operations. The photovoltaic (PV) solar system generated more than 1.1 gigawatt-hours of electricity in testing, and is expected to produce up to 1 megawatt-hour now that it's operating at full power. “This project is proof that sustainability can be practical, visible and dire...| Energy Capital
Every industry can play a role in the energy transition, and Houston Methodist is leading the charge in the health care sector. Culminating at this week’s inaugural Green ICU Conference, part of Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week, the health care system has spent the last three years taking a closer look at its environmental footprint—and showing other hospital systems and medical organizations how they too can make simple changes to reduce emissions. The event, held tomorrow, Sept. ...| Energy Capital
Eight Democratic members of the U.S. House from Texas, including two from Houston, are calling on the Trump administration to restore a nearly $250 million solar energy grant for Texas that’s being slashed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In a letter to Lee Zeldin, head of the EPA, and Russell Vought, director of the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the House members urged the two officials to reinstate the nearly $250 million grant, which was awarded to Texa...| Energy Capital
Editor's note: There have been major developments in the local energy transition sector in September, including big funding for Hertha Metals, a powerful partnership for Fervo, and a launch on the horizon for Oxy. Below are the five most-read EnergyCaptialHTX stories from September 1-14. 1. Houston-area sustainable steel company emerges from stealth with $17M in VC funding Conroe-based Hertha Metals, a producer of substantial steel, has hauled in more than $17 million in venture capital from ...| Energy Capital
Houston-based Fervo Energy, a producer of geothermal power, has secured $205.6 million in capital to help finance its geothermal project in southern Utah.| Energy Capital
Energy Tech Nexus will host its Pilotathon and Showcase as part of Houston Energy & Climate Startup Week next Tuesday, Sept. 16, featuring insightful talks from industry leaders and pitches from an international group of companies in the clean energy space. This year's event will center around the theme "Energy Access and Resilience." Attendees will hear pitches from nine Pilotathon pitch companies, as well as the 14 companies that were named to Energy Tech Nexus' COPILOT accelerator earlier ...| Energy Capital
Hitachi Energy, whose U.S. headquarters is in Houston, has earmarked more than $1 billion to manufacture infrastructure for the U.S. electric grid, which is coping with greater power demand from data centers and AI platforms. Of that sum, $457 million is dedicated to building a power transformer factory in Virginia. Hitachi Energy said it’ll be the largest facility of its kind in the U.S. “Power transformers are a linchpin technology for a robust and reliable electric grid and winning the...| Energy Capital
If you follow energy policy, you already know that Congress repealed the 30% residential solar tax credit. This poses a significant challenge for continued growth in the market. It also provides an opportunity for the industry to grow in a smart, consumer-friendly way. That’s why in Texas, the story is what happens next: The state and the market are continuing to make going solar much simpler, better, and cheaper. Policies are moving in the right direction. For example, starting this month,...| Energy Capital
Solaris Assets has completed its acquisition of the majority of Sunnova Energy International’s residential solar assets. Houston-based Sunnova filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this summer after piling up billions of dollars in debt. Meanwhile, Sunnova founder and former CEO John Berger has launched a Houston-based home energy services startup, Otovo USA, which just received more than $4 million in seed funding. Solaris now owns Sunnova’s residential solar services platform and its solar ge...| Energy Capital
Houston- and Boston-based Square Robot Inc.'s newest tank inspection robot is commercially available and certified to operate at extreme temperatures. The new robot, known as the SR-3HT, can operate from 14°F to 131°F, representing a broader temperature range than previous models in the company's portfolio. According to the company, its previous temperature range reached 32°F to 104°F. The new robot has received the NEC/CEC Class I Division 2 (C1D2) certification from FM Approvals, allowi...| Energy Capital
Oil giant ConocoPhillips is planning to lay off up to a quarter of its workforce, amounting to thousands of jobs, as part of broader efforts from the company to cut costs. A spokesperson for ConocoPhillips confirmed the layoffs on Wednesday, September 3, noting that 20% to 25% of the company's employees and contractors would be impacted worldwide. ConocoPhillips currently has a global headcount of about 13,000 — meaning that the cuts would impact between 2,600 and 3,250 workers. “We are a...| Energy Capital
Houston-based Engie North America has entered into an agreement with Wyoming-based Prometheus Hyperscale to develop liquid-cooled data centers at select renewable and battery storage energy facilities along Texas’ I-35 corridor. Its first AI-ready data center compute capacity sites are expected to go live in 2026. “By leveraging our robust portfolio of wind, solar, and battery storage assets — combined with our commercial and industrial supply capabilities and deep trading expertise —...| Energy Capital
Houston-based Occidental Petroleum is gearing up to start removing CO2 from the atmosphere at its $1.3 billion direct air capture (DAC) project in the Midland-Odessa area. Vicki Hollub, president and CEO of Occidental, said during the company’s recent second-quarter earnings call that the Stratos project — being developed by carbon capture and sequestration subsidiary 1PointFive — is on track to begin capturing CO2 later this year. “We are immensely proud of the achievements to date a...| Energy Capital
Houston-based geothermal energy startup Fervo Energy has tapped Houston-based energy technology company Baker Hughes to supply geothermal equipment for five Fervo power plants in Utah.| Energy Capital
Two companies are teaming up to build a natural gas microgrid in Houston that will reduce emissions by 98 percent.| Energy Capital
A Houston energy services company has announced the upcoming opening of a state-of-the-art energy testing and integration technologies hub.| Energy Capital
As Texas bakes in scorching summertime heat, a new program has been rolled out in Galveston to provide free energy-efficiency upgrades of homes.| Energy Capital
In the season of giving, a Houston energy company has played Santa Claus with a special deliver for underserved Houstonians.| Energy Capital
The leader of a local organization that supports strategic initiatives in energy, health care, and immigration has announced his succession plans.| Energy Capital
Chevron Technology Ventures has announced its latest fund raised to deploy capital into clean energy technology.| Energy Capital
Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC), the state-owned oil company of the United Arab Emirates, has chosen technology from United Kingdom-based company Carbon Clean for a carbon capture project in Abu Dhabi. Carbon Clean’s U.S. headquarters is in Houston.| Energy Capital
Carbon Clean, a carbon capture company whose North American headquarters is in Houston, has forged a deal with a contractor to build modular carbon capture containers for the agricultural sector.| Energy Capital
In its 2024 "Most & Least Energy-Efficient States" report, WalletHub ranks Texas at No. 36 out of the 50 states with a score of 47.5 out of 100 points.| Energy Capital
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Technology Transitions selected 225 teams from 117 schools from 39 states — including three Houston-area universities — to participate in its annual startup competition.| Energy Capital
Houston has been selected as one of the hubs backed by a new program from the United States Department of Energy that's developing communities for clean energy innovation.| Energy Capital
Houston-based Pyrophyte Acquisition Corp., a “blank check” SPAC, plans to merge with Canadian quartz silica producer Sio Silica Corp. in a deal valued at more than $700 million.| Energy Capital
As I reflect on my past visit to Houston, it’s not the usual sights or activities that linger but the pulse of a city redefining its energy narrative. The vibrant energy, the breakthroughs in innovation, and the spirited conversations with passionate individuals left an indelible mark. To my LinkedIn community, I invite you to join me on this journey into the heart of Houston’s transformative landscape.| Energy Capital
A special purpose acquisition company has sealed the deal on its acquisition of a company with thermal imaging and sensing platform technology.| Energy Capital
Chevron warned Monday that its pending $53 billion acquisition of Hess may be in jeopardy because it will require the approval of Exxon Mobil and a Chinese national oil company, which both hold rights to development of an oil field off the coast of the South American nation Guyana.| Energy Capital
Fresh off its $3 billion fund closure, a Houston private equity firm has made its latest acquisition.| Energy Capital
When Ana Amicarella took the helm of EthosEnergy in 2019, she had no idea of the challenges that awaited her company, the industry, and the world.| Energy Capital
As it seeks an additional $30 million in series A funding, Houston startup Sage Geosystems has released promising results from a test of its technology for underground storage of geothermal energy.| Energy Capital
Two clean energy companies in Houston have been recruited for geothermal projects at U.S. military installations.| Energy Capital
Researchers at Rice University are making cleaner water through the use of nanotech.| Energy Capital
A Houston university has committed to preparing the workforce for the future of energy with its newest program.| Energy Capital
Four Houston research projects are splitting hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant funding from Rice University, and two specifically are targeting energy tech solutions.| Energy Capital
Houston is known as the energy capital of the world, and the industry is ingrained into Rice University's DNA — especially the university's business school.| Energy Capital
The Society of Petroleum Engineers' Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) takes place in Houston this fall, and with it comes its ATCE Startup Village Energy Startup Competition.| Energy Capital
As Houston, the energy capital of the world, navigates the global energy transition, the city is uniquely positioned to lead by example.| Energy Capital
In the energy capital of the world, we often think and talk about the energy transition and low carbon solutions in the context of energy production and distribution – whether it’s adding more renewables to the grid, reducing the CO2 emissions of our existing energy resources with CCUS and Hydrogen, developing energy storage technology to manage intermittency, or deploying other innovative solutions designed to produce or deliver more energy with fewer emissions – Houston is leading on ...| Energy Capital
The City of Houston is getting closer to its goal of all non-emergency, light-duty municipal vehicles to be electric by 2030.| Energy Capital
The holidays have come and gone, and the city of Houston is asking for you to recycle your Christmas trees.| Energy Capital
Gastech, billed as the world’s largest exhibition and conference for the natural gas, LNG, hydrogen, low carbon solutions, and climate technologies, will take place in Houston September 17 to 20, 2024.| Energy Capital
Ten Houston-area companies will receive vouchers from the Department of Energy's latest round of funding to support the adoption of clean energy tech.| Energy Capital
The brightest stars in Houston's energy community celebrated wins at an annual awards event this week.| Energy Capital
A Houston energy startup has announced the news that every early-stage company wants to get to shout from the rooftops: the technology works.| Energy Capital
EnergyRe, a developer of large-scale renewable energy projects with headquarters in Houston and New York, has signed a renewable energy agreement that will allow Google to invest in and purchase renewable energy credits (RECs) from its projects under development in South Carolina.| Energy Capital
Research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas shows that solar power and battery storage capacity helped stabilize Texas’ electric grid last summer.| Energy Capital
Canadian energy company Enbridge Inc., whose gas transmission and midstream operations are based in Houston, has flipped the switch on its first solar power project in Texas.| Energy Capital
In an "all hands on deck" move to advance philanthropic support for climatetech ventures, Greentown Labs has named its first-ever head of philanthropy.| Energy Capital
Diamond Infrastructure Solutions has given Third Pillar Solar exclusive rights to access Diamond’s Texas reservoirs for the possible launch of utility-scale floating solar installations. Both companies are based in the Houston area.| Energy Capital
Two Houston-area energy executives have been named to Fortune’s list of the 100 Most Powerful People in Business.| Energy Capital
Exxon Mobil and Japanese import/export company Marubeni have signed a long-term offtake agreement for 250,000 tonnes of low-carbon ammonia per year from ExxonMobil’s forthcoming facility in Baytown, Texas.| Energy Capital
Spring-based ExxonMobil continues to ramp up its carbon capture and storage business with a new offshore lease and a new CCS customer.| Energy Capital
The country’s largest oil and gas company might cancel what would be the world’s largest low-carbon hydrogen plant due to a significant change in federal law. The project carries a $7 billion price tag.| Energy Capital
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is ending a $7 billion Biden-era program that was supposed to enable low-income Americans to access affordable solar power.| Energy Capital
Meta has agreed to purchase 100 percent of the power generated by Enbridge's $900 million solar project near San Antonio.| Energy Capital
Following the White House’s issuance of a broader AI Action Plan, a new executive order seeks to streamline regulatory burdens and utilize federal resources to encourage the development of data centers supporting AI.| Energy Capital
A carbon innovation initiative in collaboration with Greentown Houston has named its new cohort.| Energy Capital
Solidec, a Houston startup that specializes in manufacturing “clean” chemicals, has raised more than $2 million in pre-seed funding.| Energy Capital
From globally-focused forums to intimate conversations with Houston energy leaders, these events are not to be missed.| Energy Capital
At first, Zimri T. Hinshaw just wanted to design a sustainable, vegan jacket inspired by bikers he saw in Tokyo. Now, he's running a bio-based materials company with two product lines and is ready to disrupt the fashion and automotive industries.| Energy Capital
Texas is expected to see a 77-gigawatt decrease in power generation capacity within the next 10 years under the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which President Trump recently signed into law, a new forecast shows.| Energy Capital
Houston startup Molecule Software hopes to get a big bang out of its new platform for the energy and commodities markets.| Energy Capital
Molecule has completed a successful series B round for an undisclosed amount, according to a July 16 update.| Energy Capital
Fervo Energy claimed a top 10 spot on Time magazine and Statista’s new list of America’s Top GreenTech Companies of 2025.| Energy Capital
Houston-based cleantech startup Fervo Energy has broken ground on what it's describing as the "world’s largest next-gen geothermal project."| Energy Capital
Google is on a mission to run all of its data centers and office campuses on constant carbon-free energy by 2030, and the tech giant is one step closer to that goal.| Energy Capital
Rheom Materials presented its bio-based alternative, Shorai, a 93 percent bio-based leather, at the Houston Rodeo and plans to scale it up this year.| Energy Capital
What does pop star Sabrina Carpenter and Houston geothermal energy founder Tim Latimer have in common? In addition to their successful summers in their respective careers, they both also were named influential leaders on the TIME100 Next list for 2024.| Energy Capital
The city of Houston approved $281,000 funding for the expansion of free electric vehicle rideshare services in communities that are considered underserved by utilizing services like RYDE and Evolve Houston.| Energy Capital
Houston-based Fervo Energy, the leader in enhanced geothermal technology, is accelerating decarbonization by bringing 24/7 carbon-free electricity to the grid.| Energy Capital
