go coogs

University plugs into Houston renewables co. as official athletics energy provider

The University of Houston's football season is starting off in a new conference — and with a new renewable energy partner. Photo via uh.edu

This college football season brings a lot of newness for the University of Houston: A new conference, following the athletic program's July transition to the Big 12. And a new official energy provider that is 100 percent renewable.

UH Athletics announced last week that Houston-based Rhythm Energy has signed on to be the official energy company of the program. The company will have a presence on signage at all sports venues, a strong digital presence across UH Athletics platforms; and Cougars’ basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, and track and field home events.

Rhythm Energy will also roll out The Go Coogs 12 Plan in time for football season, which will be an exclusive electricity plan to help UH faculty, alumni, students and fans go green.

“As a proud UH alumni, I am so pleased Rhythm Energy has become the Official Energy Company for my alma mater,” PJ Popovic, CEO of Rhythm Energy, said in a statement. “UH is hands down one of the top educational and athletic institutions in the nation, and I’m forever grateful for the knowledge I gained there, which allowed me to start my own renewable energy company. With UH joining the Big 12 Conference, we’re inspired by their success, achievements, and growth—something we strive for at Rhythm Energy every day.”

UH Athletics oversees 17 sport programs — seven on the men's side, including baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, and track and field, and 10 on the women's side, including basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.

Popovic founded Rhythm Energy in 2021. The company offers 100 percent renewable energy plans for Texas residents, using solar power, wind power and other renewable power sources.

The founder spoke with EnergyCapital last month about where he thinks renewables fit into Texas’ energy consumption and grid reliability issues and the shifting public opinion towards renewables.

"There is still a lot (speech) that is not necessarily painting renewables correctly," he tells EnergyCapital.

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A View From HETI

Engine No. 1 and GE Vernova have established a new Houston-based startup. Photo via Getty Images

Buoyed by a purchase agreement from Microsoft, Houston-based Joulent recently launched to build power plants that meet the electricity demands of AI data centers and other computing-heavy industries.

Joulent builds dedicated power-generating facilities that feed directly into data centers and other power-dependent facilities, eliminating the need for companies to siphon power from grids. Joulent’s plants combine generation, storage and smart controls in a modular, scalable setup, according to a news release.

Investment firm Engine No. 1 established Joulent in collaboration with energy technology company GE Vernova.

Joulent’s first project, the Project Kilby natural gas facility in West Texas, will be co-located with a Microsoft data center. It’ll deliver about 2.67 gigawatts of power under a 20-year deal between Microsoft and Energy Forge One, a subsidiary of Houston-based Chevron. Engine No. 1 and Chevron teamed up to build the plant.

GE Vernova will supply most of the plant’s power capacity, with additional capacity coming from Solar Turbines, a subsidiary of Irving-based construction and mining equipment manufacturer Caterpillar.

“Leadership in the AI era will be determined by who can deliver energy and compute the fastest, most reliably, and at the lowest cost,” Chris James, founder and CEO of Engine No. 1 and Joulent, said in a news release. “By building new power-generating facilities, Joulent enables customers across industries to power the next chapter of American innovation, while reducing pressure on existing grids and maintaining affordability for ratepayers.”

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