Daikin to run massive Houston-area campus on solar power through new Engie partnership

power deal

Daikin has tapped Engie North America to provide clean electricity for its Texas facilities, including the massive Daikin Texas Technology Park. Photo courtesy Daikin.

Japan-based HVAC manufacturer Daikin has struck a five-year deal with Houston-based Engie North America to fully power its Texas facilities with renewable energy.

The deal includes Daikin Texas Technology Park (DTTP), home to the company’s North American headquarters and its largest factory (and one of the largest factories in the world). The more than $500 million, 4.2 million-square-foot campus sits on nearly 500 acres in Waller.

The technology park, which held its grand opening in 2017, combines manufacturing, engineering, logistics, marketing, and sales operations for Amana, Daikin and Goodman HVAC products. Earlier this year, Daikin installed a solar array at DTTP to power its central chiller plant.

Under the new agreement, Daikin will pay Engie North America for clean electricity from the 260-megawatt Impact Solar Farm, located northeast of Dallas-Fort Worth in Lamar County. Engie North America is a subsidiary of French utility company Engie.

The $250 million solar farm, which London-based Lightsource BP started operating in 2021, produces about 450,000 megawatt-hours of solar power each year. Lightsource, which has an office in Austin, develops, finances and operates utility-scale renewable energy projects. Lightsource BP is a subsidiary of energy giant BP, whose North American headquarters is in Houston.

“This initiative represents a major step forward in aligning our operations with Daikin’s long-term sustainability goals,” Mike Knights, senior vice president of procurement at Daikin, said in a release.

Daikin aims to make its DTTP a net-zero factory by 2030.

From Your Site Articles

Daikin Industries' new solar power plant at its Waller-area campus will power its central chiller plant and is designed to connect to the campus' electric grid. Photo courtesy Daikin.

Daikin completes solar plant to power massive Houston-area campus

switched on

Japanese HVAC company Daikin Industries has completed a nearly one-megawatt solar power plant at its Daikin Comfort Technologies North America campus southeast of Waller.

Daikin says the new plant at its 4.2 million-square-foot Daikin Texas Technology Park will eliminate an estimated 845 metric tons of carbon emissions each year. The park houses the largest HVAC factory in North America.

“Daikin’s unwavering commitment to innovation drives us to continually perfect the air we share. With the launch of this solar project, we’re one step closer to being a net-zero CO2 emission factory by 2030,” Nathan Walker, senior vice president of environmental business development of locally based Daikin Comfort Technologies North America, said in a release. “This installation is a significant step in reducing our carbon footprint and underscores our commitment to energy efficiency, sustainability, and environmental stewardship.”

Solar power from the new facility will power the Daikin campus’ central chiller plant, which circulates about 125,000 gallons of chilled water annually and 75,000 gallons of hot water in the winter. Also, the solar setup is designed to connect to the electric grid that serves the campus. About 10,000 people work at the campus.

Daikin, a Fortune 1000 company, may not have been a familiar name to some Houstonians until January, when it took over the naming rights for the Houston Astros’ stadium. The naming rights agreement for Daikin Park, formerly Minute Maid Park, expires during the Astros’ 2039 season. The stadium had been named Minute Maid Park since 2002.

“The Astros are the pride of Houston, an organization that has built resiliency in hard times, and have succeeded to be a winning team. The coming together of both our organizations is a symbol of our love for our hometown and the communities of the Greater Houston area,” Takayuki “Taka” Inoue, executive vice president and chief sales and marketing officer at Daikin Comfort Technologies North America, said in November.

Daikin committed to installing energy efficient technology in low-to-moderate-income households in Houston. Photo courtesy of Daikin

Japanese company collaborates with city of Houston on energy efficiency partnership

daikin's in

A Japanese air conditioner manufacturer has teamed up with the city of Houston on an energy efficiency initiative.

Daikin Comfort Technologies, which has its 4.2 million-square-foot Daikin Texas Technology Park in Waller, Texas, has partnered with the city of Houston to provide advanced air conditioning and heating solutions to help homeowners with energy efficiency and general comfort.

The company will install up to 30 horizontal discharge inverter FIT heat pump units over the next three years. The units will be provided to low-to-moderate-income households, which will include seniors over the age of 62, and homes renovated through the Housing and Community Development Department’s Home Repair Program. The new units will offer internet connectivity for remote monitoring and control. The installations align with Houston's Home Repair Program reconstruction plans.

“We are proud to partner with the City of Houston to launch this program that can directly advance their vision for decarbonization and increasing grid resiliency through higher efficiency,” CEO Satoru Akama says in a news release. “Through this program, Homeowners will have a premium system that will not only provide comfort but save on their monthly bills and do so in a way that lowers site emissions of CO2 compared to traditional, non-inverter systems. At Daikin, we are focused on changing the culture of air conditioning in North America and are looking forward to having a direct impact in our hometown.”

The initiative coincides with the company’s 100th year anniversary and National Air Condition Appreciation Days, which was coined by Mayor John Whitmire on August 13. Air Conditioning Appreciation Days ran from July 3 until August 15.

“The city thanks Daikin for this collaboration. Houstonians, especially seniors, (that) must have the resources to stay comfortable during extreme temperatures,” Whitmire adds. “This partnership reflects our dedication to caring for the well-being of our community.”

Awareness is part of the appreciation days, as Daikin recommends homeowners and facilities to clean filters, schedule maintenance checkups and look at ways to lower energy use.

“Through these new energy-efficient solutions, Daikin is helping the city promote a more sustainable environment for our community, and we are thankful for their example of how public-private partnerships can make a positive difference in society,” Houston Council Member Sallie Alcorn says in a news release.

Ad Placement 300x100

Ad Placement 300x600

CultureMap Emails are Awesome

Property Showcase

Greentown Labs partners with California software developer on new center

power partnership

Greentown Labs has partnered with Los Angeles-based software development firm Nominal to launch the new Industrial Center of Excellence at Greentown's Houston incubator.

Nominal will provide access to its connected test and operations stack to help engineers working at Greentown Houston startups boost their "efficiency, automation, and scalability," according to a news release. The news comes just a few days after Greentown announced a partnership with Houston-based EnergyTech Nexus, which will also open an investor lounge on-site.

"Our mission is to remove friction for innovative entrepreneurs, so they can rapidly scale their transformative solutions," Lawson Gow, Greentown's Head of Houston, said in the release. "The Industrial Center of Excellence with Nominal will complement Greentown's robust prototyping, equipment, and lab offerings to accelerate entrepreneurs' ability to bring disruptive technologies out of the lab and into the world."

According to Greentown and Nominal, the partnership will support startups that are focused on decarbonizing the manufacturing sector, which Greentown estimates represents about a third of startups in its Houston incubator.

The new center will host specialized workshops and Nominal will now offer weekly office hours for Greentown startups.

"The future belongs to teams who can deliver resilient hardware faster than anyone else," Bryce Strauss, co-founder of Nominal, added in the statement. "Competitive edge is defined by test velocity. Nominal is building a connected stack of software tools where every discipline works shoulder-to-shoulder to make confident, real-time decisions."

Nominal, which supports engineering work in the aerospace, energy, automotive and defense industries, closed a $75 million series B round this summer.

CPS Energy invests $1.4B in Houston hydrogen-ready power plants

CPS Energy, which services San Antonio, has agreed to acquire four state-of-the-art natural gas power generation facilities in the Houston area from Missouri-based PROENERGY for $1.387 billion, according to a release.

The recently constructed plants have an aggregate electric capacity of 1,632 megawatts and are located in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) markets in Harris, Brazoria and Galveston counties. The assets are dual-fuel capable, which would allow CPS Energy to transition to a hydrogen fuel blend and reduce carbon emissions.

CPS president and CEO Rudy Garza said that the acquisition presents a lower cost and lower supply chain risk alternative to building new power facilities while providing reliable, affordable and cleaner energy.

“We are getting the best of both worlds by securing new infrastructure without delay while also strengthening the power supply for our community,” Garza said in a news release. “This acquisition secures reliable capacity today – at a lower cost – and is a win for the customers of CPS Energy, the city of San Antonio and all the communities we serve by meeting their long-term energy needs. As we add resources to meet the needs of our fast-growing communities, we will continue to look to a diverse balance of energy sources that complement our portfolio, including natural gas, solar, wind, and storage, keeping our community powered and growing.”

PROENERGY will continue to staff, operate, and maintain the plants.

“By acquiring recently constructed, currently operating modern power plants that utilize proven technology already in use by CPS Energy, we avoid higher construction costs, inflationary risk, and long timelines associated with building new facilities – while also enhancing the reliability and affordability of the CPS Energy generation portfolio,” Garza added in the release.

CPS Energy is one of the nation’s largest public power, natural gas, and electric companies with 950,000 electric and 389,000 natural gas customers in the San Antonio area and surrounding counties.

Expert: How technology is transforming energy education and powering young minds

Guest Column

In today’s ever-changing digital world, the way we teach kids about science is rapidly transforming. Energy education, specifically, is expanding and contributing to the STEM landscape significantly. Helping children understand where energy comes from, how we use it in our everyday lives and how it affects our planet is critical to sparking early interest in STEM learning and inspiring potential careers in the energy industry.

Thanks to new technology and the power of artificial intelligence, we are better equipped to explain these complex ideas in fun, interactive and easy-to-understand ways.

The Role of Educational Technology in Classrooms

Traditional teaching methods can struggle to connect scientific concepts to students’ everyday experiences. A 2023 study found that technology not only makes learning more engaging and enjoyable but also encourages students to invest more effort in their studies over time.

Tools like tablets, smartboards, interactive simulations and gamified learning apps allow students to visualize energy systems, conduct virtual experiments and explore dynamic models that demonstrate how energy flows through different systems.

For example, virtual labs allow students to simulate the installation of solar panels or observe how wind turbines convert kinetic energy into electricity, all without leaving the classroom. These digital tools transform abstract theories into concrete, hands-on experiences, making it easier for students to understand and retain core principles of energy science.

Gamified learning has also become increasingly popular in K–12 classrooms because it engages students by meeting them where they are through interactive, game-like experiences. By incorporating familiar motivators such as points, levels, rewards and challenges, it taps into the same engagement techniques students encounter in video games and apps outside the classroom.

In an era when competition for students’ attention is higher than ever, more educators are turning to gamification because it works; it transforms passive learning into an active, student-centered experience, helping learners stay focused and motivated.

When applied to energy education, gamification can be especially powerful. Educational games that task students with managing a virtual city, designing energy-efficient systems or balancing an energy budget help build valuable real-world skills like problem-solving and systems thinking. Most importantly, they keep students engaged and make learning about energy meaningful.

Equity and Access in Educational Technology

While technology and AI offer immense potential to transform energy education, it is crucial to address the digital divide that exists across different schools and communities. Not all students have equal access to the devices, software or reliable internet connectivity needed to benefit from these innovative learning tools.

Bridging this gap requires collaborative efforts through public-private partnerships, targeted grants and community-driven educational outreach programs. These initiatives play a vital role in ensuring that every student, regardless of socioeconomic background or geographic location, has the opportunity to engage with tech-driven energy education.

Organizations like the Energy Education Foundation are taking meaningful steps in this direction. This fall, the nonprofit is launching EnergyXP, an innovative, mobile STEM learning experience designed for middle school students. The program offers 16 interactive, hands-on, and digital activities aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards, and is provided free of charge to participating schools. Through EnergyXP, students explore diverse energy concepts while building curiosity, collaboration and critical thinking skills. The program links classroom learning to real-world applications, helping students see the role of energy in their daily lives and sparking interest in STEM careers.

Other promising initiatives such as community tech hubs, low connectivity learning platforms, school-device loan programs and subsidized broadband options also support increased access to digital education. In Harris County, the Commissioners Court recently voted unanimously to create the Harris County Broadband Task Force with the aim of expanding internet access and affordability and addressing the growing digital literacy demands in the region. Additionally, Compudopt, a partner of the Energy Education Foundation, is another valuable resource for the Houston-area community. Its programs work to eliminate barriers to computer access, build technical and digital literacy skills, offer no- or low-cost high-speed internet options and support the long-term success of youth and their communities.

By supporting programs and organizations that decrease the digital divide, we can ensure that all students have access to engaging, technology-driven energy education. Providing young learners with the tools to explore, innovate and connect with the energy systems that power their world is key to building a more diverse, inclusive energy workforce for the future.

AI is Transforming the Energy Landscape

Students who utilize technology and AI in the classroom will be better equipped for the energy jobs of the future. As the energy sector continues to evolve, AI is becoming an essential tool for addressing complex challenges from optimizing energy production and distribution to accelerating innovation and improving system reliability.

By exposing students to AI-driven learning experiences early on, we can help them build the skills needed to understand and contribute to emerging technologies such as smart grids, predictive maintenance, renewable energy forecasting and energy storage optimization. These technologies are already shaping the future of how we produce, store and consume energy.

Through hands-on engagement with AI-powered simulations, data analysis tools and problem-solving scenarios, students are learning how to lead in a tech-driven, sustainable energy future.

As the world transitions toward more technology-driven energy systems, the importance of early, engaging and equitable energy education has never been more critical. Through the integration of technology, gamified learning and AI in the classroom, we can make science more accessible and empower students with the knowledge and skills they need to shape the future. Programs like EnergyXP demonstrate how innovation in education can bridge opportunity gaps, spark curiosity and lay the groundwork for a more inclusive and forward-thinking energy workforce. The investments we make in today’s classrooms will determine the energy leaders of tomorrow.

---

Kristen Barley is the executive director of the Energy Education Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to inspiring the next generation of energy leaders by providing comprehensive, engaging education that spans the entire energy spectrum.

View All Listings

ENERGYCAPITALHTX EMAILS ARE AWESOME