Houston entrepreneur on how mobile payments will impact the energy transition

Q&A

Don Frieden of P97 shares his thoughts on the future of payment technology amid the energy transition. Photo courtesy of P97

Whether you fuel up your car at the pump or a plug, you need to pay for it. One venture-backed Houston company is dedicated to optimizing that transaction process.

P97 was founded in 2012 to upgrade gas station payments — something that had remained stagnant since around 1997 with the card reader. Don Frieden, CEO and president at the company, thought more can be improved in this process and other daily transactions.

He shared his vision for the company — past, present, and future — on the Houston Innovators Podcast, as well as how he sees the relationship between fintech and the energy transition.

Tell me about the founding mission you had for P97 and the current technologies you're working on.

Don Frieden: P97 is my second software startup — both Houston-based companies. The first one was back in the late '90s, and we were leveraging technology to enable workforce automation and decisions for technology. I mentioned that just because it's relevant because fast forward, and that business was required by public traded company in 2008 and some of our learnings were about payments of gas technology, which led us to start this business.

With P97, our mission from the beginning was simplifying and energizing daily journeys. We think about daily journeys from the time we leave home in the morning and when we get back at the end of the day — whether it's tolling, parking, buying fuel, fast food restaurants, it's all a part of your daily journeys, and our goal is to make things a little bit simpler each day.

There hadn't been any payment innovation from the late '90s, and that was contactless payment at the gas pump, but nothing more until we started the business in 2012. Part of the reason the company name is P97 is because we wanted to innovate around payments since we really hadn't seen anything innovative since 1997.

One of the things we’re most excited about is voice enable payments through our partnership with Amazon's Alexa. The landscape of payments at gas stations underwent this next revolution, and we're using cutting-edge speech recognition and artificial intelligence to allow drivers to pay for fuel just using their voice. It makes the process faster and more efficient, and is completely hands-free. From this time I say, “Alexa, buy gas,” six seconds later, the gas would be turned on and any loyalty rewards I have would be applied, all from the comfort of my car.

How is P97 set up to address the energy transition and the new fuel sources coming out of it?

DF: The good news is about fuel is it's a process of filling up a vehicle — whether it's with a EV charge or whether you're putting hydrogen in the tank. We run one of the largest hydrogen networks in California now. Or, it’s just traditional fuel selling in gallons. The biggest challenge really is integrating all of those different use cases into mobile apps so families can have a wide variety of ways to to fuel their vehicles of wide variety of ways to pay for that fuel — all in one really frictionless experience.

How do you see Houston as a hub for your company as well as an energy transition leader?

DF: Houston is pretty much the energy capital of the world, so from from a partnership and client perspective, life is really easy in Houston right because we have so many major energy companies represented here, but we're not exactly a tech hub. Hiring in Houston has been a bit of a challenge. We have to sometimes hire people out of California and relocate them to Houston. Because of the high quality of life in Houston, we have been able to relocate people here and hire the very best talent.

The reality is that all these energy companies have now recognized the energy transition. Early on, electric vehicles were not overly popular, but now I think we all embrace the importance of climate change and zero hydrocarbon footprint. I think the last 24 months have seen really a major change in embracing everything from wind to solar to supporting the electrification of transportation. You've seen major investments by energy companies acquiring technology companies that can help them accelerate as they make the transition. It was maybe a little bit slow going early on, but the last couple of years, we've just watched it really accelerate. I think also with the US Government getting behind the Infrastructure Bill and putting programs out there to help companies transition has really also helped accelerate this process.

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Wind and solar supplied over a third of ERCOT power, report shows

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Since 2023, wind and solar power have been the fastest-growing sources of electricity for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and increasingly are meeting stepped-up demand, according to a new report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The report says utility-scale solar generated 50 percent more electricity for ERCOT in the first nine months this year compared with the same period in 2024. Meanwhile, electricity generated by wind power rose 4 percent in the first nine months of this year versus the same period in 2024.

Together, wind and solar supplied 36 percent of ERCOT’s electricity in the first nine months of 2025.

Heavier reliance on wind and solar power comes amid greater demand for ERCOT electricity. In the first nine months of 2025, ERCOT recorded the fastest growth in electricity demand (5 percent) among U.S. power grids compared with the same period last year, according to the report.

“ERCOT’s electricity demand is forecast to grow faster than that of any other grid operator in the United States through at least 2026,” the report says.

EIA forecasts demand for ERCOT electricity will climb 14 percent in the first nine months of 2026 compared with the same period this year. This anticipated jump coincides with a number of large data centers and cryptocurrency mining facilities coming online next year.

The ERCOT grid covers about 90 percent of Texas’ electrical load.

Micro-nuclear reactor to launch next year at Texas A&M innovation campus

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The Texas A&M University System and Last Energy plan to launch a micro-nuclear reactor pilot project next summer at the Texas A&M-RELLIS technology and innovation campus in Bryan.

Washington, D.C.-based Last Energy will build a 5-megawatt reactor that’s a scaled-down version of its 20-megawatt reactor. The micro-reactor initially will aim to demonstrate safety and stability, and test the ability to generate electricity for the grid.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) fast-tracked the project under its New Reactor Pilot Program. The project will mark Last Energy’s first installation of a nuclear reactor in the U.S.

Private funds are paying for the project, which Robert Albritton, chairman of the Texas A&M system’s board of regents, said is “an example of what’s possible when we try to meet the needs of the state and tap into the latest technologies.”

Glenn Hegar, chancellor of the Texas A&M system, said the 5-megawatt reactor is the kind of project the system had in mind when it built the 2,400-acre Texas A&M-RELLIS campus.

The project is “bold, it’s forward-looking, and it brings together private innovation and public research to solve today’s energy challenges,” Hegar said.

As it gears up to build the reactor, Last Energy has secured a land lease at Texas A&M-RELLIS, obtained uranium fuel, and signed an agreement with DOE. Founder and CEO Bret Kugelmass said the project will usher in “the next atomic era.”

In February, John Sharp, chancellor of Texas A&M’s flagship campus, said the university had offered land at Texas A&M-RELLIS to four companies to build small modular nuclear reactors. Power generated by reactors at Texas A&M-RELLIS may someday be supplied to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) grid.

Also in February, Last Energy announced plans to develop 30 micro-nuclear reactors at a 200-acre site about halfway between Lubbock and Fort Worth.

Rice University partners with Australian co. to boost mineral processing, battery innovation

critical mineral partnership

Rice University and Australian mineral exploration company Locksley Resources have joined together in a research partnership to accelerate the development of antimony processing in the U.S. Antimony is a critical mineral used for defense systems, electronics and battery storage.

Rice and Locksley will work together to develop scalable methods for extracting and utilizing antimony. Currently, the U.S. relies on imports for nearly all refined antimony, according to Rice.

Locksley will fund the research and provide antimony-rich feedstocks and rare earth elements from a project in the Mojave Desert. The research will explore less invasive hydrometallurgical techniques for antimony extraction and explore antimony-based materials for use in batteries and other energy storage applications.

“This strategic collaboration with Rice marks a pivotal step in executing Locksley’s U.S. strategy,” Nathan Lude, chairman of Locksley Resources, said in a news release. “By fast-tracking our research program, we are helping rebuild downstream capacity through materials innovation that the country urgently requires.”

Pulickel Ajayan, the Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor of Materials Science and Nanoengineering at Rice, is the principal investigator of the project.

“Developing scalable, domestic pathways for antimony processing is not only a scientific and engineering challenge but also a national strategic priority,” Ajayan said in the news release. “By combining Rice’s expertise in advanced materials with Locksley’s resources, we can address a critical supply chain gap and build collaborations that strengthen U.S. energy resilience.”

The Rice Advanced Materials Institute (RAMI) will play a major role in supporting the advancement of technology and energy-storage applications.

“This partnership aligns with our mission to lead in materials innovations that address national priorities,” Lane Martin, director of RAMI, said in a news release. “By working with Locksley, we are helping to build a robust domestic supply chain for critical materials and support the advancement of next-generation energy technologies.”

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