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Houston's $1.2B win, events not to miss, and other things to know in energy transition this week

Houston scores federal funding for energy transition projects — and more things to know this week. Photo via Getty Images

Editor's note: It's a new week — start it strong with three quick things to know in Houston's energy transition ecosystem: Federal funding deployed in Houston, a podcast to stream, and more.


Federal funding deals in HOU

DOE has granted funds big and small to Houston energy organizations. Photo via Getty Images

The big news last week was that a Houston-area project been announced as one of the seven regions to receive a part of the $7 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to advance domestic hydrogen production. President Biden and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm named the seven regions to receive funding in a White House statement on Friday, October 13. The Gulf Coast's project, HyVelocity Hydrogen Hub, will receive up to $1.2 billion — the most any hub will receive. Read more.

Also this month, the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy deployed $10 million into three projects working on superconducting tape innovation. Two of these projects are based on research from the University of Houston. Superconductivity — found only in certain materials — is a focus point for the DOE because it allows for the conduction of direct electric current without resistance or energy loss. Read more.

Must-attend events

Upcoming events to put on your radar. Photo via Getty Images

Put these upcoming events on your radar.

  • October 30-31 — Fuze is a must-attend event for executives, investors, and founders serious about solving the energy crisis and boosting company efficiency. Learn more.
  • November 1 — The Greentown Labs Climatetech Summit 2023 will feature energy transition startups, thought leaders, and more both in person and online. Learn more.
  • November 8 — The Houston Innovation Awards will honor the city's startups, entrepreneurs, and ecosystem, including energy tech innovators. Learn more.

Today's listen: Energy Tech Startups

Rawand Rasheed, the CEO and founder of Helix Earth Technologies, joins the Energy Tech Startups podcast. Photo via LinkedIn

Excessive energy consumption in air conditioning systems is a pressing issue with far-reaching implications for carbon emissions and climate change.

Rawand Rasheed, the CEO and founder of Helix Earth Technologies, is at the forefront of addressing this challenge. With a distinguished background as an aerospace engineer with NASA, Rawand’s expertise is now channeled towards the built environment and heavy industries.

In a recent episode of Energy Tech Startups, we dive into how Rawand’s journey from space technology innovations is now revolutionizing energy consumption in air conditioning systems.


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A View From HETI

BP acquired the renewable natural gas producer in 2022. Photo via bp.com

Oil and gas conglomerate BP is unloading its Houston-based U.S. renewable natural gas business just four years after buying it.

The British company announced the planned sale of Archaea during its most recent earnings call but offered few details.

On the call, BP’s new CEO, Meg O’Neill, said her company had put Archaea on the market and already had attracted interest from potential buyers. BP acquired Houston-based Archaea Energy, the country’s largest producer of renewable natural gas (RNG), in 2022 for about $4.1 billion.

BP, whose North American headquarters is in Houston, is streamlining its portfolio. As such, O’Neill said Archaea represents a “capital intense” approach to biogas instead of the “capital light” approach BP now favors.

“If there’s somebody who sees an opportunity to create additional value, who will invest in that business, who will build on the foundation, because our team has made really good progress in improving the profitability of that business, then that will be a good outcome,” O’Neill told Wall Street analysts.

The proposed sale of Archaea is part of BP’s effort to sell about $20 billion in assets by the end of next year.

Archaea captures biogas, a natural byproduct of waste decomposition at landfills and dairy farms, and converts it into electricity or RNG. This process leads to cleaner air, less odor, and more sustainable energy than traditional fossil fuels.

Archaea was slated to be a cornerstone of BP’s plan to boost its biogas supply by roughly 600 percent to the equivalent of about 70,000 barrels of oil per day.

Bioenergy had been identified as one of bp’s five pillars of its multibillion-dollar energy transition initiative.

Another pillar: EV charging. Last month, BP agreed to sell its EV charging business in Austria to Switzerland’s Volenergy, along with 250 BP-branded stores and a fleet of business vehicles.

“By concentrating our capital on the assets and markets where BP can be most competitive and best serve customers, we are strengthening our balance sheet and creating a stronger downstream portfolio,” Richard Harding, interim executive vice president of downstream at BP, said of the Volenergy deal.

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