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Greentown welcomes new Houston members, Phillips 66's renewable energy facility milestone, and more top news

Here's what Houston energy transition news trended this week. Photo via Getty Images

Editor's note: From Greentown Houston announcing its newest members to new Houston-area sustainability-focused plants, these are the top headlines that resonated with EnergyCapital readers on social media and daily newsletter this week.

Greentown Labs shares updates on newest climatetech members

Nine companies have joined Greentown Houston. Photo via Getty Images

Greentown Labs announced that it added nine climatetech startups in the second quarter of this year.

The new members of the incubator, which is co-located in Houston and Boston, work in a variety of fields from electricity to manufacturing and agriculture. Continue reading.

Phillips 66 reports full capacity milestone of renewable energy facility

The Rodeo Renewable Energy Complex will expand commercial-scale production to “position the company as a leader in renewable fuels." Photo via phillips66.com

Houston-based Phillips 66 announced the full conversion of a California renewable energy facility.

The Rodeo Renewable Energy Complex will expand commercial-scale production to “position the company as a leader in renewable fuels,” according to a news release. Continue reading.

First-of-its-kind, DOE-backed plant coming to Houston area

Houston power company Calpine announced plans to build the Baytown Carbon Capture and Storage Project, a carbon capture demonstration facility that aims to capture carbon dioxide from the Baytown Energy Center. Photo via DOE

The first full-scale implementation of carbon capture and storage technology at a natural gas combined cycle power plant in the U.S. is coming to Baytown.

Houston power company Calpine announced plans to build the Baytown Carbon Capture and Storage Project (Baytown CCS Project), which is a carbon capture demonstration facility that aims to capture carbon dioxide from the Baytown Energy Center (BEC). The BEC is a natural gas combined-cycle power plant in Baytown. Continue reading.

Houston entrepreneur launches new venture to shine light on sustainability

Solar Slice Founder Nathan Childress says his new venture offers a fulfilling way to encourage and promote solar energy and a greener planet. Photo by Pixabay

A Houston nuclear engineer and entrepreneur wants consumers to capture their own ray of sunlight to brighten the prospect of making clean energy a bigger part of the power grid.

Solar Slice Founder Nathan Childress says his new venture offers a fulfilling way to encourage and promote solar energy and a greener planet. An experienced entrepreneur, Childress also serves as founder and CEO of technology software company Macorva.

Although trained in nuclear power plant design, solar power drew his interest as a cheaper and more accessible alternative, and Childress tells InnovationMap that he thinks that the transition to cleaner energy, in Texas especially, needs to step up. Continue reading.

Houston geothermal company picks up power purchase agreement in California

Under two 15-year deals, Southern California Edison has agreed to buy a total of 320 megawatts of geothermal power from Fervo Energy. Photo via Getty Images

Houston-based Fervo Energy, a provider of geothermal power, has signed up one of the country’s largest utilities as a new customer.

Under two 15-year deals, Southern California Edison has agreed to buy a total of 320 megawatts of geothermal power from Fervo. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. The power will be enough to deliver electricity to the equivalent of 350,000 homes.

Southern California Edison, based in Rosemead, California, serves about 15 million people throughout a 50,000-square-mile area in California. Continue reading.

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A View From HETI

Chevron ranks among America's best places to work. Photo courtesy of Chevron

Nearly a dozen public and private Houston-based companies have been hailed among the best places to work in 2025 by U.S. News and World Report, with four from the energy sector.

The annual "U.S. News Best Companies to Work For" report examines thousands of publicly-traded companies around the world to determine the best employers based on six metrics including work-life balance and flexibility; quality of pay and benefits; job and company stability; career opportunities and professional development; and more. The companies were not ranked, but included based on reader surveys and publicly available data about each workplace.

New for the 2025-2026 ratings,U.S. News expanded its methodology to include privately owned companies and companies with internship opportunities for recent graduates and new, current, and prospective students. Companies were also grouped into job-specific and industry-specific lists, and the publication also added a new list highlighting "employers that are particularly friendly to employees who are also caregivers in their personal lives."

U.S. News included seven publicly-traded companies and four privately owned companies in Houston on the lists.

Houston-based energy companies on the list

It may not come as a surprise that oil and gas corporation Chevron landed at the top of the list of top public employers in the Energy Capital of the World. The energy giant currently employs more than 45,000 people, earns $193.47 billion in annual revenue, and has a market cap of $238.74 billion. The company earned high ratings by U.S. News for its job stability, "belongingness," and quality of pay.

Chevron also appeared in U.S. News'industry-specific "Best in Energy and Resources" list, the "Best Companies in the South" list, and the "Best for Internships" list.

Chevron is joined by three other Houston energy leaders:

  • Calpine – Best in Energy and Resources; Best Companies (overall)
  • ConocoPhillips – Best in Energy and Resources; Best Companies (overall); Best in Caregiving; Best Companies in the South
  • Occidental – Best in Energy and Resources; Best Companies (overall); Best Companies in the South

Other top companies to work for in Houston are:

  • American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) — Best in Engineering and Construction; Best Companies (overall)
  • Hines – Best in Real Estate and Facilities Management; Best Companies (overall)
  • Insperity, Kingwood – Best in Healthcare and Research; Best Companies (overall); Best in Caregiving; Best Companies in the South
  • KBR – Best in Engineering and Construction; Best Companies (overall); Best Companies in the South
  • Men's Warehouse – Best in Consumer Products; Best Companies (overall)
  • PROS – Best in Information Technology; Best Companies (overall); Best Companies in the South
  • Skyward Specialty Insurance – Best in Finance and Insurance; Best Companies (overall); Best Companies in the South
"'Best' is a subjective term relative to career satisfaction, and many aspects factor into someone’s decision to apply for a job with any given company," U.S. News said. "But some universally desired factors can contribute to a good workplace, such as quality pay, good work-life balance, and opportunities for professional development and advancement

In all, 30 employers headquartered in the Lone Star State made it onto U.S. News' 2025-2026 "Best Places to Work For" lists. Houston and the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area tied for the most employers make the list, at 11 companies each. Diamondback Energy in Midland was the only company from West Texas to make it on the list for the second year in a row.

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A version of this article originally appeared on CultureMap.com.

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