The U.S. government's highway safety agency says Tesla is telling drivers in public statements that its vehicles can drive themselves, conflicting with owners manuals and briefings with the agency saying the electric vehicles need human supervision.| Energy Capital
Houston-based energy technology company SLB has finalized its purchase of a majority stake in Norway’s Aker Carbon Capture, a provider of industrial-scale carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology.| Energy Capital
Editor's note: From a Greentown Labs' new donor to Huntsman's new innovation center, these are the top headlines that resonated with EnergyCapital readers on social media and daily newsletter this week.| Energy Capital
A California startup that's revolutionizing polymer cathode battery technology has announced its series A round of funding with support from Houston-based energy transition leaders.| Energy Capital
Energytech Nexus, a Houston-based incubator for energy startups, has named its inaugural cohort of 14 companies for the new COPILOT accelerator.| Energy Capital
Houston-based clean energy company Diligence Offshore Services has announced a strategic partnership with Florida-based floating solar manufacturing company AccuSolar for the development of a renewable energy project in the Port Arthur area. Known as the Pleasure Island Power Collective, it will be built on 2,275 acres across Pleasure Island and Sabine Lake. It is expected to generate 391 megawatts of clean power, alongside a utility-scale battery energy storage system. It will also feature a...| Energy Capital
The Clean Hydrogen Buyers Alliance has proposed an index aimed at bringing transparency to pricing in the emerging hydrogen market. The Houston-based alliance said the Gulf Coast Hydrogen Index, based on real-time data, would provide more clarity to pricing in the global market for hydrogen. The benchmarking effort is being designed to benefit clean hydrogen buyers, sellers and investors. The index would help position the U.S. “as the trading anchor for hydrogen’s next chapter as a global...| Energy Capital
Two Houston-area energy leaders appear on Fortune’s inaugural list of the top adopters of AI among Fortune 500 companies. They are: No. 7 energy company ExxonMobil, based in Spring No. 47 energy company Chevron, based in Houston They are joined by Spring-based tech company Hewlett Packard Enterprise, No. `9. All three companies have taken a big dive into the AI pool. In 2024, ExxonMobil’s executive chairman and CEO, Darren Woods, explained that AI would play a key role in achieving a $15 ...| Energy Capital
Energy Tech Nexus held its Pilotathon and Showcase during the second annual Houston Energy & Climate Startup Week last month and granted awards to eight startups. This year's event, focused on the theme "Energy Access and Resilience," offered 24 startups an opportunity to pitch their pilot projects. "At Energy Tech Nexus, we recognize that scaling breakthrough energy technologies requires more than just capital—it demands strategic pilot partnerships," Nada Ahmed, founding Partner of Energy...| Energy Capital
The U.S. Department of Energy has proposed cutting $1.2 billion in funding for the HyVelocity Gulf Coast Hydrogen Hub, a clean energy project backed by AES, Air Liquide, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Mitsubishi Power Americas and Ørsted. The HyVelocity project, which would produce clean hydrogen, appears on a new list of proposed DOE funding cancellations. The list was obtained by Latitude Media. As of November, HyVelocity had already received $22 million of the potential $1.2 billion in DOE funding....| Energy Capital
Houstonians may be feeling blue about a new ranking of the greenest cities in the U.S. Among the country’s 100 largest cities based on population, Houston ranks 99th across 28 key indicators of “green” living in a new study from personal finance website WalletHub. The only city with a lower ranking is Glendale, Arizona. Last year, Houston landed at No. 98 on the WalletHub list. “‘Green’ living means a choice to engage in cleaner, more sustainable habits in order to preserve the pl...| Energy Capital
Editor's note: The top energy transition stories for the start of October include Texas' big bet on nuclear energy, ERCOT's innovative efforts, CenterPoint's capital improvement plan, and more. Read on for the five most-read EnergyCapitalHTX stories published Oct.1-15, 2025: 1. Policy adviser tapped to lead ‘nuclear renaissance’ in Texas 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 Ad...| Energy Capital
Greentown Labs has partnered with Shoreless to launch an AI lab within its Houston climatetech incubator. "Climatetech and energy startups are transforming industries, and AI is a critical tool in that journey," Lawson Gow, Greentown's Head of Houston, said in a news release. "We're excited to bring this new offering to our entrepreneurs and corporate partners to enhance the way they think about reducing costs and emissions across the value chain." Shoreless, a Houston-based company that enab...| Energy Capital
The University of Houston will receive $8 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Energy for its work on fusion technology to help power data centers and medical work. Venkat Selvamanickam, professor at UH’s Cullen College of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and director of the Advanced Manufacturing Institute, has been tasked to lead the research on superconducting magnets that he said will make compact fusion reactors possible. “Beyond fusion, superconductors can tran...| Energy Capital
As the energy capital of the world, Houston has been at the forefront of innovation, powering industries and communities for generations. Many Houston families, however, are facing a reality that undermines our leadership: high energy bills and ongoing concerns about grid reliability. Affordability and reliability are not just technical issues; they’re equity issues. To remain the world leader in energy, we must ensure that every household has access to affordable and dependable power. Affo...| Energy Capital
Austin-based startup Base Power, which offers battery-supported energy in the Houston area and other regions, has raised $1 billion in series C funding—making it one of the largest venture capital deals this year in the U.S. VC firm Addition led the $1 billion round. All of Base Power’s existing major investors also participated, including Trust Ventures, Valor Equity Partners, Thrive Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Altimeter, StepStone Group, 137 Venture...| Energy Capital
Spring-based ExxonMobil is postponing development of a $10 billion plastics manufacturing plant along the Gulf Coast. Construction on the plant, to be located near Port Lavaca, was supposed to begin next year. “Based on current market conditions, we are going to slow the pace of our development for the Coastal Plain Venture,” ExxonMobil confirmed in an emailed statement. “We’re confident in our growth strategy, and we remain interested in a potential project along the U.S. Gulf Coast ...| Energy Capital
Houston-based KBR, a provider of technology and engineering services for government and private-sector customers, is pursuing a tax-free spinoff of its Mission Technology Solutions business as a public company. Following the spinoff, KBR would remain a public company. The new company, nicknamed SpinCo, would focus on technology and engineering services for the space and national security sectors. The scaled-down KBR, nicknamed RemainCo, would concentrate solely on sustainability technology an...| Energy Capital
InnovationMap.com, EnergyCaptialHTX's sister website, has revealed the finalists for the 2025 Houston Innovation Awards, and the local energy sector — from startups to leaders and accelerators — is well-represented throughout the awards. Taking place on November 13 at Greentown Labs, the fifth annual Houston Innovation Awards will honor the best of Houston's innovation ecosystem, including startups, entrepreneurs, mentors, and more. This year's finalists were determined by our esteemed pa...| Energy Capital
An Austin startup that pairs electricity with backup power has started doing business in Houston. Base Power announced this spring that it was entering the Houston market, with an initial focus on Cy-Fair, Spring, Cinco Ranch and Mission Bend. Now, Base Power is offering its service to households within the city of Houston. To support its growth in the Houston area, Base Power has opened an office and warehouse in Katy. More than 30 people now work there. Plans to expand the Katy location are...| Energy Capital
EnergyTech Nexus, a Houston-based hub for clean energy startups, announced its coalition of Global Founding Partners last month at its Pilotathon event during Houston Energy and Climate Week.| Energy Capital
In Houston, the energy transition movement is in full effect — at least, according to the facts and figures from a recently released report.| Energy Capital
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
EnergyTech Nexus will move into Greentown Labs and plans to open an investor lounge on-site| 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.| 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.| 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
In the season of giving, a Houston energy company has played Santa Claus with a special deliver for underserved Houstonians.| 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
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
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
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
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
Houston-based geothermal energy company Fervo Energy has secured a $100 million bridge loan for the first phase of its ongoing project in Utah.| Energy Capital
Houston-based EDP Renewables North America LLC announced that it has powered up four new projects across the country for customers Amazon and Microsoft.| Energy Capital
Some big news for outside-the-Loop ridesharing users: Luxury rideshare company Alto, which currently operates in Inner Loop and Greater Houston, will expand its current service areas to The Woodlands and Spring.| Energy Capital
Earlier this month, a Houston power company was selected by the Department of Energy's Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations for a cost-sharing agreement for a commercial-scale carbon capture and storage project.| Energy Capital
XGS Energy is developing a geothermal system that can deliver affordable, clean energy anywhere there is hot rock.| Energy Capital
A Houston-based photovoltaic manufacturer has celebrated the opening of its new PV manufacturing base in Houston.| Energy Capital
