Houston geothermal company picks up power purchase agreement in California

heating up

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.

The utility will purchase the power from Fervo’s 400-megawatt Cape Station plant, which is under construction in southwest Utah. The plant’s first phase, providing 70 megawatts of power, is expected to be online by 2026.

“This announcement is another milestone in California’s commitment to clean zero-carbon electricity,” David Hochschild, chair of the California Energy Commission, says in a news release.

“Enhanced geothermal systems complement our abundant wind and solar resources by providing critical base load when those sources are limited,” he adds. “This is key to ensuring reliability as we continue to transition away from fossil fuels.”

In June, Fervo announced it would supply 115 megawatts of geothermal power for Google’s two data centers in Nevada. Two years ago, Fervo signed a deal with energy aggregators in California to supply 53 megawatts of geothermal power from Cape Station.

“As electrification increases and climate change burdens already fragile infrastructure, geothermal will only play a bigger role in U.S. power markets,” says Dawn Owens, Fervo's head of development and commercial markets.

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This article originally ran on InnovationMap.

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The new bp pulse station is the first bp pulse branded Gigahub in the US and will be open to the public. Photo via bp.com

bp bets big on EV infrastructure, opens new Houston charging center

plugging in

Energy giant bp is opening a large electric-vehicle charging site at its American headquarters in Houston.

The new bp pulse station is the first bp pulse branded Gigahub in the US and will be open to the public. The Gigahub, will offer 24 high-speed EV charge points with Tritium 150kW DC fast chargers. The chargers will be integrated with the bp pulse app, which assists users to locate the site, access real-time charging availability, and WiFi capabilities.

"As we expand our global footprint, I am thrilled to unveil our first EV charging Gigahub in the US,” Emma Delaney, bp executive vice president for customers and products, says in a news release. “With leading fast charging positions already in key markets in the UK, China, and Germany, we're learning about customer charging preferences on the go.”

The plan for bp pulse includes continued deployment of additional charging points at high-demand spots like major metropolitan areas, bp-owned properties, and airports. The company has also been awarded grant funds through programs including National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure and California Energy Commission, which will help to provide charging infrastructure at sites in Virginia,California, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Kentucky.

Last year, bp announced plans to invest $1 billion in EV charging infrastructure by 2030, with $500 million invested in by the end of 2025.

"We're excited to bring bp pulse to America's energy corridor and expand our presence in the US public EV-charging market," CEO of bp pulse Americas Sujay Sharma said in a news release "This project will bring fast, reliable charging to EV drivers when and where they need it, helping support faster electric-vehicle adoption in the US. We look forward to welcoming new and existing EV drivers to our growing network."

Enchanted Rock specializes in electrical-resiliency-as-a-service for sectors such as health care, manufacturing, and government infrastructure. Photo via enchantedrock.com

Houston microgrid company scores $2.1M grant for hydrogen blending tech research

fresh funding

A Houston-based provider of electric microgrids has scooped up a $2.1 million grant from the California Energy Commission for development of technology aimed at reducing greenhouse gasses and other natural gas emissions.

Enchanted Rock shares the grant with the University of California Riverside, or UCR.

“This is an exciting opportunity to further advance the potential use of hydrogen fuel blends for commercialization and market adoption,” Thomas McAndrew, founder and CEO of Enchanted Rock, says in a news release. “We believe in using the cleanest fuel available without compromising on reliability or performance for our customers and are dedicated to helping California, and the nation, achieve its climate and energy goals.”

The use of a hydrogen and natural gas blend for fueling generators shows promise for reducing emissions and improving efficiency, according to Enchanted Rock. The company says the funding will enable it to identify the ideal blend of natural gas and hydrogen for operating a natural generator while improving performance and minimizing emissions.

As part of the grant, UCR’s College of Engineering-Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) will play a key role in measuring emissions and combustion performance. Meanwhile, Palomar College in San Marcos, California, will host a field demonstration site.

”Hydrogen is one of the ‘low-hanging fruit’ solutions to decarbonize our transportation system and other sectors where emissions are hard to abate, and it can serve as a zero-carbon green fuel for internal combustion off-road and highway engines,” says UCR professor Georgios Karavalakis.

Founded in 2006, Enchanted Rock specializes in electrical-resiliency-as-a-service for sectors such as health care, manufacturing, and government infrastructure. The company’s dual-purpose microgrids rely on natural gas and renewable natural gas to produce lower carbon emissions and air pollutants than diesel generators.

In December, Enchanted Rock said it had teamed up with U.S. Energy to supply renewable natural gas for Microsoft’s new data center in San Jose, California, during grid outages and when businesses are directed to reduce power usage.

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Texas drivers continue to pump the brakes on EVs, shows new report

EV adoption

Even though Texas is home to Tesla, a major manufacturer of electric vehicles, motorists in the Lone Star State aren’t in the fast lane when it comes to getting behind the wheel of an EV.

U.S. Department of Energy data compiled by Visual Capitalist shows Texas has 689.9 EV registrations per 100,000 people, putting it in 20th place for EV adoption among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. A report released in 2023 by the University of Houston and Texas Southern University found that a little over 5 percent of Texans drove EVs.

California leads all states for EV adoption, with 3,025.6 registrations per 100,000 people, according to Visual Capitalist. In second place is Washington, with an EV adoption rate of 1,805.4 per 100,000.

A recent survey by AAA revealed lingering reluctance among Americans to drive all-electric vehicles.

In the survey, just 16 percent of U.S. adults reported being “very likely” or “likely” to buy an all-electric vehicle as their next car. That’s the lowest level of interest in EVs recorded by AAA since 1999. The share of consumers indicating they’d be “very unlikely” or “unlikely” to buy an EV rose to 63 percent, the highest level since 2022.

Factors cited by EV critics included:

High cost to repair batteries (62 percent).
High purchase price (59 percent).
Ineffective transportation for long-distance travel (57 percent).
Lack of convenient public charging stations (56 percent).
Fear of battery running out of power while driving (55 percent).

“Since AAA began tracking consumer interest in fully electric vehicles, we’ve observed fluctuations in enthusiasm,” said Doug Shupe, corporate communications manager for AAA Texas. “While automakers continue investing in electrification and expanding EV offerings, many drivers still express hesitation — often tied to concerns about cost, range, and charging infrastructure.”

18 Houston-based energy companies land on Forbes Global 2000 list

Forbes 2000

More than 60 Texas-based companies appear on Forbes’ 2025 list of the world’s 2,000 biggest publicly traded companies, and nearly half come from Houston, the majority in the energy sector.

Among Texas companies whose stock is publicly traded, Spring-based ExxonMobil is the highest ranked at No. 13 globally.

Rounding out Texas’ top five are Houston-based Chevron (No. 30), Dallas-based AT&T (No. 35), Austin-based Oracle (No. 66), and Austin-based Tesla (No. 69).

Ranking first in the world is New York City-based J.P. Morgan Chase.

Forbes compiled this year’s Global 2000 list using data from FactSet Research to analyze the biggest public companies based on four metrics: sales, profit, assets, and market value.

“The annual Forbes Global 2000 list features the companies shaping today’s global markets and moving them worldwide,” said Hank Tucker, a staff writer at Forbes. “This year’s list showcases how despite a complex geopolitical landscape, globalization has continued to fuel decades of economic growth, with the world’s largest companies more than tripling in size across multiple measures in the past 20 years.”

The U.S. topped the list with 612 companies, followed by China with 317 and Japan with 180.

Here are the rest of the Texas-based companies in the Forbes 2000, grouped by the location of their headquarters and followed by their global ranking.

Houston area (those in the energy sector are in bold)

ConocoPhillips (No. 105)
Phillips 66 (No. 276)
SLB (No. 296)
EOG Resources (No. 297)
Occidental Petroleum (No. 302)
Waste Management (No. 351)
Kinder Morgan (No. 370)
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (No. 379)
Baker Hughes (No. 403)
Cheniere Energy (No. 415)
Corebridge Financial (No. 424)
Sysco (No. 448)
Halliburton (No. 641)
Targa Resources (No. 651)
NRG Energy (No. 667)
Quanta Services (No. 722)
CenterPoint Energy (No. 783)
Coterra Energy (No. 1,138)
Crown Castle International (No. 1,146)
Westlake Corp. (No. 1,199)
APA Corp. (No. 1,467)
Comfort Systems USA (No. 1,629)
Group 1 Automotive (No. 1,653)
Talen Energy (No. 1,854)
Prosperity Bancshares (No. 1,855)
NOV (No. 1,980)

Austin area

Dell Technologies (No. 183)
Flex (No. 887)
Digital Realty Trust (No. 1,063)
CrowdStrike (No. 1,490)

Dallas-Fort Worth

Caterpillar (No. 118)
Charles Schwab (No. 124)
McKesson (No. 195)
D.R. Horton (No. 365)
Texas Instruments (No. 374)
Vistra Energy (No. 437)
CBRE (No. 582)
Kimberly-Clark (No. 639)
Tenet Healthcare (No. 691)
American Airlines (No. 834)
Southwest Airlines (No. 844)
Atmos Energy (No. 1,025)
Builders FirstSource (No. 1,039)
Copart (No. 1,062)
Fluor (No. 1,153)
Jacobs Solutions (1,232)
Globe Life (1,285)
AECOM (No. 1,371)
Lennox International (No. 1,486)
HF Sinclair (No. 1,532)
Invitation Homes (No. 1,603)
Celanese (No. 1,845)
Tyler Technologies (No. 1,942)

San Antonio

Valero Energy (No. 397)
Cullen/Frost Bankers (No. 1,560)

Midland

Diamondback Energy (No. 471)
Permian Resources (No. 1,762)

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

Hydrogen Technology Expo expected to bring largest event yet to NRG Center

where to be

The Hydrogen Technology Expo North America returns to NRG Center this month, June 25-26, and is slated to be the largest yet with an expected 10,000 attendees, 500 exhibitors, 200 speakers and more than 100 hours of content.

The 2025 event will feature cutting-edge technologies, interactive panel discussions and networking opportunities while targeting industries looking to adopt hydrogen and fuel cell technology to help decarbonize their sectors. The event will be co-located with the Carbon Capture Technology Expo North America.

The 2025 expo will introduce the new Ammonia Zone, a dedicated area fostering collaboration with industries leveraging ammonia as a key component in the hydrogen economy. It will also offer one- and two-day passes for the first time.

The expo is divided into five tracks:

Strategic forum
Hydrogen and alternative fuel production
Infrastructure and integration
Mobility and propulsion systems
Carbon capture, utilization and storage

Speakers include Martin Perez, former associate director for carbon capture at the office of clean energy demonstrations for the U.S. Department of Energy; Frank Wolak, president and CEO of Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association; Seema Santhakumar, hydrogen market development leader –Americas at Baker Hughes; Rich Byrnes, chief infrastructure officer for Port Houston; and many others. A full list of exhibitors can be found here.

Technologies on display will include storage systems, industrial plant technologies, liquefaction technologies, advanced materials and composites, gasification technology, simulation and evaluation, safety systems, hydrogen fuels, hydrogen injectors, line assemblies, fuel-cell control units and more.

“The Hydrogen Technology Expo offers industry leaders a valuable opportunity to network and stay informed about the latest developments in the rapidly evolving world of hydrogen,” Susan Shifflett, Executive Director at Texas Hydrogen Alliance, said. “We’re a proud partner of the show.”

Entry to the exhibition hall is free of charge. Passes start at $450. Find more information about how to register here.

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