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Greentown Houston calls for feedback for developing wet lab space

Greentown Houston is asking its current and potential members what they want in a wet lab. Photo via GreentownLabs.com

Greentown Houston has announced it's building a new wet lab facility, and the organization is looking for feedback from its community.

Greentown Labs, which is dual located at their headquarters in Somerville, Massachusetts, and in the Ion District in Houston, has announced earlier this summer that they are building out a wet lab in their Midtown space.

"We have heard from several startups as well as corporate partners in the ecosystem that are looking for wet lab space," says Lara Cottingham, vice president of strategy, policy, and climate impact at Greentown Labs. "Greentown has experience running wet labs from our location in Somerville. We're excited to be able to offer wet lab space to climatetech startups as an additional amenity to the Ion District.

Although Greentown's Boston-area location has wet lab space, Cottingham says the organization is not interested in copying and pasting that same facility. Greentown wants to provide the tools that the Houston ecosystem needs, and that requires getting feedback from its current and potential members.

"We want to announce to the community that this is something we're going to build — but we still need a lot of feedback and input from startups so we can learn what exactly they need or want to see from the wet lab," Cottingham tells InnovationMap. "No two wet labs are the same."

There currently aren't any details available about timeline or specifics of the new facility. Greentown is prioritizing getting feedback from its members and having conversations with potential sponsors and corporate partners.

"Corporate partners are a big part of the ecosystem and the community at Greentown. They can be so many things to our startups — mentors, customers, investors," Cottingham says. "And in this space, they can help us sponsor and financially support the wet lab. We're still fundraising — we have some partners that have committed to funding, but we're still looking for more funding."

In addition to monetary contribution, Cottingham says they are looking for other options as well, from partnerships with equipment providers, hazardous materials management, and more.

Startups that need wet lab space are encouraged to fill out the online form, which will be open through the summer, and potential corporate partners can express their interest online as well.

Greentown Houston opened its doors in 2021 and has since grown to house more than 75 energy and climatetech startups, as well as several accelerators, thanks to support from dozens of corporate partners.

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This article originally ran on InnovationMap.

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SunPower is expanding its solar and VPP business in Texas. Photo via Unsplash

Utah-based solar technology and battery storage company SunPower has announced its expansion into Texas by acquiring “prime project assets” from Houston installer Green Light Solar.

As part of the deal, Green Light Solar CEO James Garrett will lead SunPower’s U.S. installation group. Garrett is based in the Houston area, according to LinkedIn.

Green Light Solar focuses on residential and commercial solar installations, battery backups and whole-home generators throughout Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Colorado. As of press time, SunPower had not disclosed which specific projects or assets were included in the acquisition.

In addition to the Green Light acquisition, SunPower also announced its second strategic partnership with Fort Worth-based SOLRITE Energy, which provides solar and battery project financing and virtual power plant capabilities.

Through the partnership, SunPower plans to expand its residential solar and battery storage business and grow its virtual power plant (VPP) network in Texas.

A virtual power plant is a network of connected energy sources that can supply electricity to the grid when demand is high. The network draws on energy stored in individual residential and commercial battery systems. VPPs can also help participating homeowners generate additional revenue by selling their stored power.

“SOLRITE not only sources projects to us but also provides project funding for innovative systems with large batteries connected to a VPP, enabling power sales into the open market,” T. J. Rodgers, SunPower CEO, said in a news release. “That VPP capability provides an extra source of income that SOLRITE shares with homeowners and EPCs, making SOLRITE an attractive partner.”

SunPower will bring its sales, installation and lifetime warranty support to the partnership, while SOLRITE will provide its virtual power plant platform and solar financing capabilities, according to the release.

"Building our VPP business is a key part of SunPower’s growth strategy going forward,” Kapil Rai, EVP of Direct at SunPower, added in the release. “Our partnership with SOLRITE gives us a path to bring together customer acquisition, solar, storage deployment, and financing to develop this business in Texas and beyond.”

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