fresh funding

Houston company scores NSF grant for DAC tech

GigaDAC's technology, as it scales, should reduce the cost of construction by two thirds. Photo courtesy of Victory Over Carbon

A Houston startup that's using aerospace engineering in the direct air capture space has received funding to continue research and development on its technology.

Victory Over Carbon Inc. received a Small Business Innovation Research grant for $272,488 from U.S. National Science Foundation. The company, which is based out of Greentown Labs in Houston, has created its GigaDAC system that uses a spray to aerodynamic separator model, reducing costs while maintaining efficacy, according to a news release from the company.

“NSF accelerates the translation of emerging technologies into transformative new products and services,” Erwin Gianchandani, NSF assistant director for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, says in the release. “We take great pride in funding deep-technology startups and small businesses that will shape science and engineering results into meaningful solutions for today and tomorrow.”

GigaDAC's technology, as it scales, should reduce the cost of construction by two thirds, per the company, while optimizing current DAC operations.

“DAC is a critical pillar to solving climate change, and an immense undertaking as society gets serious about scaling in a way that is both technologically sound as well as commercially viable,” Harrison Rice, CEO of Victory Over Carbon, says in the release “Today’s leading DAC contactor designs are largely an offshoot of cooling tower technology. As a positive, these systems work — but they’re not optimized to scale. For GigaDAC, we went to a blank slate and started with scalability as the first principal; both to build, and to operate efficiently.

"Getting this right means winning in a market expected to grow to over $1 trillion in annual revenue,” he continues.

Since the company has secured funding from the America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF, it can apply for additional funding totaling up to $2 million.

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A View From HETI

Tesla is expected to bring a 'megafactory' to Brookshire.

Tesla is expected to bring a “megafactory” and 1,500 manufacturing jobs to the Houston area.

According to various news reports this week, Tesla intends to spend $200 million on a facility in Brookshire, Texas. The Waller County Commissioners Court approved tax abatements on March 5 for the new plant.

“We are super excited about this opportunity—1,500 advanced manufacturing jobs in the county and in the city," Waller County Precinct 4 Commissioner Justin Beckendorff said during Wednesday’s Commissioners Court meeting.

Tesla will lease two buildings in Brookshire's Empire West Business Park. According to documents from Waller County, Tesla will add $44 million in facility improvements. In addition, it will install $150 million worth of manufacturing equipment.

As part of the deal, Tesla will invest in property improvements that involve a 600,000-square-foot, $31 million manufacturing facility that will house $2 million worth of equipment and include improvements to the venue.

The facility will produce Tesla megapacks, which are powerful batteries to provide energy storage and support, according to the company. A megapack can store enough energy to power about 3,600 homes for one hour.

Tesla can receive a 60 percent tax abatement for 10 years. According to the tax abatement agreement, Tesla has to employ at least 1,500 people by 2028 in order to be eligible for the tax break.

In addition to the employment clause, Tesla also will be required to have a minimum of $75 million in taxable inventory by January 1, 2026, which will increase to $300 million after three years.

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This story originally appeared on our sister site, InnovationMap.

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