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Top stories: Google's $1B tech investment in Texas, geothermal cos. make big announcements

Google to invest $1 billion into Texas clean energy and data center technology — and more trending Houston energy transition news. Screenshot via Google

Editor's note: From Google's investment into clean energy and storage tech to geothermal companies making big announcements, these are the top headlines that resonated with EnergyCapital readers on social media and daily newsletter this week.

Google to invest $1B in clean energy, data center tech in Texas

U.S. Congressman Jake Ellzey made the announcement in Dallas last week. Photo courtesy of Google

Google is making a big investment in Texas to the tune of $1 billion.

According to a news release from the company, the tech giant will spend more than $1 billion to support its cloud and data center infrastructure and expand its commitment to clean energy.

The $1 billion will be spent on data center campuses in Midlothian and Red Oak to help meet growing demand for Google Cloud, AI innovations, and other digital products and services such as Search, Maps, and Workspace. Continue reading.

California geothermal co. grows C-suite, grows presence in Houston

XGS has leased 10,000 square feet of office space in Houston. Photo via Getty Images

A geothermal company with its headquarters in Palo Alto, California, has named new members of its C-suite and, at the same time, has expanded its operational footprint in Houston.

XGS Energy promoted Axel-Pierre Bois to CTO and Lucy Darago to chief commercial officer. Darago is based in Austin, and Bois, from France, lists his role as based in Houston on LinkedIn. Both have worked at XGS since February of last year.

“Axel and Lucy’s proven operational excellence and technical knowledge has helped propel XGS forward as we enter our next phase of growth,” Josh Prueher, CEO of XGS Energy, says in a news release. “I’m thrilled to have them both join XGS’ C-suite and have their support as we continue to grow our team, further advance our next-generation geothermal technology, and invest in our multi-gigawatt project pipeline.” Continue reading.

Houston clean energy storage facility goes online to power ERCOT grid

Jupiter Power's Callisto I is up and running. Photo courtesy of jupiterpower.io

A new battery energy storage facility in Houston is officially up and running to power the ERCOT grid with a supply of reliable, zero emissions power.

Jupiter Power announced the commercial operations launch of its 400-megawatt-hour battery facility, Callisto I, in central Houston on the site of the former HL&P H.O. Clarke fossil fuel power plant.

"Jupiter couldn't be prouder about bringing the Callisto I project online," Andy Bowman, CEO of Jupiter Power, says. Continue reading.

Houston geothermal startup selects Texas location for first energy storage facility

Houston startup Sage Geosystems has tapped a utility provider for an energy storage facility in the San Antonio metro area. Photo via sagegeosystems.com

Houston-based geothermal energy startup Sage Geosystems has teamed up with a utility provider for an energy storage facility in the San Antonio metro area.

The three-megawatt EarthStore facility will be on land controlled by the San Miguel Electric Cooperative, which produces electricity for customers in 47 South Texas counties. The facility will be located in the town of Christine, near the cooperative’s coal-fired power plant.

Sage says its energy storage system will be paired with solar energy to supply power for the grid operated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). The facility is set to open later this year. Continue reading.

Investor acquires majority stake in Houston energy storage, CCS co.

Caliche says Sixth Street’s backing will enable it to expand its Golden Storage Triangle complex. Photo via calichestorage.com

Investment firm Sixth Street has purchased a majority stake in Houston-based Caliche Development Partners, which focuses on buying, developing, and operating natural gas and gas storage facilities along with carbon sequestration projects.

Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

The deal includes Caliche’s Golden Triangle Storage facilities and carbon sequestration project in Beaumont, and its Central Valley Gas Storage facilities in Princeton, California. Continue reading.

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A View From HETI

A team at the University of Houston is changing the game for sodium-ion batteries. Photo via Getty Images

A research lab at the University of Houston has developed a new type of material for sodium-ion batteries that could make them more efficient and boost their energy performance.

Led by Pieremanuele Canepa, Robert Welch assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at UH, the Canepa Research Laboratory is working on a new material called sodium vanadium phosphate, which improves sodium-ion battery performance by increasing the energy density. Energy density is the amount of energy stored per kilogram, and the new material can do so by more than 15 percent. With a higher energy density of 458 watt-hours per kilogram — compared to the 396 watt-hours per kilogram in older sodium-ion batteries — this material brings sodium technology closer to competing with lithium-ion batteries, according to the researchers.

The Canepa Lab used theoretical expertise and computational methods to discover new materials and molecules to help advance clean energy technologies. The team at UH worked with the research groups headed by French researchers Christian Masquelier and Laurence Croguennec from the Laboratoire de Reáctivité et de Chimie des Solides, which is a CNRS laboratory part of the Université de Picardie Jules Verne, in Amiens France, and the Institut de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Bordeaux, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France for the experimental work on the project.

The researchers then created a battery prototype using the new materia sodium vanadium phosphate, which demonstrated energy storage improvements. The material is part of a group called “Na superionic conductors” or NaSICONs, which is made to let sodium ions move in and out of the battery during charging and discharging.

“The continuous voltage change is a key feature,” Canepa says in a news release. “It means the battery can perform more efficiently without compromising the electrode stability. That’s a game-changer for sodium-ion technology.”

The synthesis method used to create sodium vanadium phosphate may be applied to other materials with similar chemistries, which could create new opportunities for advanced energy storage. A paper of this work was published in the journal Nature Materials.

"Our goal is to find clean, sustainable solutions for energy storage," Canepa adds. "This material shows that sodium-ion batteries can meet the high-energy demands of modern technology while being cost-effective and environmentally friendly."

Pieremanuele Canepa, Robert Welch assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at UH, is leading a research project that can change the effectiveness of sodium-ion batteries. Photo courtesy of UH

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