Houston solar-powered tech company to collaborate on street safety device

lights on

Each K1 Super Tower, being created in partnership with Mountain View, California-based Knightscope, will include public safety technology.

EnGoPlanet, a Houston-based company that makes solar-powered street lights, is collaborating with a Silicon Valley company to create a solar-powered street light with emergency detection features.

Each K1 Super Tower, being created in partnership with Mountain View, California-based Knightscope, will include public safety technology such as:

Automated gunshot detection
Automated license-plate recognition
Blue strobe light
Mass-notification speaker
360-degree, ultra-high-definition video

“We have been hard at work transforming conventional street lighting to one of the most advanced solar, battery, and LED solutions in the market — and we are excited to work with Knightscope to leverage that technology to further the public safety mission in an innovative way,” Petar Mirovic, CEO of EnGoPlanet, says in a news release.

Investors in EnGoPlanet, founded in 2019, include Houston-based Sallyport Investments and Paul Hobby, founding partner and managing director of Houston-based private equity firm Genesis Park.

Among the target customers for the K1 Super Tower are cities and colleges.

“Knightscope is rethinking every aspect of public safety technology,” says William Santana Li, chairman and CEO of Knightscope. “Pairing EnGoPlanet’s sustainable street lights with our innovative portfolio of capabilities will help illuminate more areas and set the new standard for city and campus safety.”

Knightscope, a publicly traded company, specializes in robotics and artificial intelligence geared toward public safety.

EnGoPlanet announced in April that it neared completion on its Calhoun County project that features 300 solar-powered, motion-activated street lights and 20 camera-equipped power poles at several local parks.

The lighting project is part of a 15-year initiative aimed at boosting Calhoun County’s commitment to solar and other forms of renewable energy. Photo via EnGoPlanet

Houston company nears completion of innovative solar-powered street lights project

light the way

Houston-based EnGoPlanet is nearing completion of what it touts as the largest installation of solar-powered street lights in the U.S.

The project, which relies on EnGoPlanet’s ENGO Utility program, is in Calhoun County. It features 300 solar-powered, motion-activated street lights and 20 camera-equipped power poles at several Calhoun County parks. Port Lavaca, close to 130 miles southwest of Houston, is the county seat of Calhoun County.

Calhoun County Commissioner David Hall calls the project “a game-changer for innovation in the sustainable energy space.”

The solar-powered street lights were made according to DarkSky guidelines designed to reduce nighttime light pollution.

The lighting project is part of a 15-year initiative aimed at boosting Calhoun County’s commitment to solar and other forms of renewable energy.

“Our work in Calhoun County is a prime example of how collaboration and innovative thinking can create not just economic value, but also profound social and environmental impact. Municipalities and counties should explore many available grants through the Inflation Reduction Act to help fund renewable energy initiatives for their communities,” Petar Mirovic, CEO of EnGoPlanet, says in a news release.

Calhoun County is just one of several places where EnGoPlanet, founded in 2019, has installed solar-powered street lights. Others include Houston, Dallas, Montenegro, Qatar, and Serbia.

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Enbridge's new Texas solar project to power Meta data centers

solar deal

Construction is underway on a new 600-megawatt solar project in Texas that will supply renewable energy to Meta Platforms Inc., the owner of Facebook, Instagram and other tech platforms.

Calgary-based Enbridge Inc., whose gas transmission and midstream operations are based in Houston, announced that Meta has agreed to purchase 100 percent of the power generated by its new $900 million solar project known as Clear Fork.

The clean energy developed at Clear Fork will be used to support Meta’s data center operations, according to a news release from Enbridge. Meta has had net-zero emissions across its operational portfolio since 2020, according to its 2024 environmental report. The company matches 100 percent of its data center usage with renewable energy.

"We are thrilled to partner with Enbridge to bring new renewable energy to Texas and help support our operations with 100% clean energy, " Urvi Parekh, Head of Global Energy at Meta, said in a news release.

The Clear Fork project is expected to be operational by the summer of 2027. It will join Enbridge’s first solar power project in Texas, Orange Grove, which was activated earlier this year, as well as the company’s Sequoia solar project, which is scheduled to go online in early 2026.

"Clear Fork demonstrates the growing demand for renewable power across North America from blue-chip companies who are involved in technology and data center operations," Matthew Akman, executive vice president of corporate strategy and president of power at Enbridge, said in the news release. "Enbridge continues to advance its world-class renewables development portfolio using our financial strength, supply chain reach and construction expertise under a low-risk commercial model that delivers strong competitive returns."

Energy experts: Executive order enhances federal permitting for AI data centers

Guest column

In an effort to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence, President Trump signed an executive order (EO) aimed at expediting the federal permitting process for data centers, particularly those supporting AI inference, training, simulation, or synthetic data generation.

Following the White House’s issuance of a broader AI Action Plan, the EO seeks to streamline regulatory burdens and utilize federal resources to encourage the development of data centers supporting AI, as well as the physical components and energy infrastructure needed to construct and provide power to these data centers.

Qualifying Projects

The EO directs several federal agencies to take actions to incentivize the development of “Qualifying Projects,” which the EO defines as “Data Centers” and “Covered Component Projects.” The EO defines “Data Center Projects” as facilities that require over 100 megawatts (MW) of new load dedicated to AI inference, training, simulation, or synthetic data generation. The EO defines Covered Component Projects as materials, products, and infrastructure that are required to build Data Center Projects or upon which Data Center Projects depend, including energy infrastructure projects like transmission lines and substations, dispatchable base load energy sources like natural gas, geothermal, and nuclear used principally to power Data Center Projects, and semiconductors and related equipment. For eligibility as a Qualifying Project, the project sponsor must commit at least $500 million in capital expenditures. Data Center Projects and Covered Component Projects may also meet the definition of Qualifying Project if they protect national security or are otherwise designated as Qualifying Projects by the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of Commerce, or Secretary of Energy.

Streamlining Permitting of Qualifying Projects

The EO outlines the following strategies aimed at improving the efficiency of environmental reviews and permitting for Qualifying Projects:

NEPA Applicability: The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), in coordination with relevant agencies, is directed to utilize existing and new categorical exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to cover actions related to Qualifying Projects, which “normally do not have a significant effect on the human environment.” The EO states that where federal financial assistance represents less than 50 percent of total project costs of a Qualifying Project, the Project shall be presumed not to be a “major Federal action” requiring NEPA review.
FAST-41: The Executive Director of the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (FPISC) is empowered to designate a Qualifying Project as a “transparency project” under the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST-41) and expedite its transition from a transparency project to a “covered project” under FAST-41. FPISC is directed to consider all available options to designate a Qualifying Project as a FAST-41 covered project, even where the Qualifying Project may not be eligible.
EPA Permitting: The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is directed to modify applicable regulations under several environmental protection statutes impacting the development of Qualifying Projects on federal and non-federal lands. EPA is also directed to develop guidance to expedite environmental reviews for identification and reuse of Brownfield and Superfund Sites suitable for Qualifying Projects. Importantly, state environmental permitting agencies are not subject to the EO.
Corps Permitting: The US Army Corps of Engineers is directed to review the nationwide permits issued under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 to determine whether an activity-specific nationwide permit is needed to facilitate the efficient permitting of activities related to Qualifying Projects.
Interior Permitting: The US Department of the Interior is directed to consult with the US Department of Commerce regarding the streamlining of Endangered Species Act consultations for Qualifying Projects, and to work with the US Department of Energy to identify federal lands that may be available for use by Qualifying Projects and offer appropriate authorizations to project sponsors.

Federal Incentives for Qualifying Projects

The EO also directs the US Secretary of Commerce to “launch an initiative to provide financial support for Qualifying Projects,” which may include loans, grants, tax incentives, and offtake agreements. The EO further directs all “relevant agencies” to identify and submit to the White House Office of Office of Science and Technology Policy any relevant existing financial support that can be used to assist Qualifying Projects, consistent with the protection of national security.

The EO reinforces the Trump administration’s focus on AI and creates new opportunities for both AI data center developers and energy infrastructure companies providing power or project components to these data centers. Proactive engagement with relevant agencies will be crucial for capitalizing on the opportunities created by this EO and the broader AI Action Plan. By leveraging these financial and environmental incentives, project developers may be able to shorten permitting timelines, reduce costs, and take advantage of federal financial support.

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Jason B. Hutt, Taylor M. Stuart and Anouk Nouet are lawyers at Bracewell. Hutt is chair of the firm’s environment, lands and resources department. Stuart counsels energy, infrastructure, and industrial clients on matters involving environmental and natural resources law and policy. Nouet advises clients on litigation, enforcement and project development matters with a focus on complex environmental and natural resources law and policy.

Houston clean-chemicals startup Solidec raises $2M to scale tech

fresh funding

Solidec, a Houston startup that specializes in manufacturing “clean” chemicals, has raised more than $2 million in pre-seed funding.

Houston-based New Climate Ventures led the oversubscribed pre-seed round, with participation from Plug and Play Ventures, Ecosphere Ventures, the Collaborative Fund, Safar Partners, Echo River Capital and Semilla Climate Capital, among other investors.

Solidec’s approach to chemical manufacturing replaces centralized infrastructure with modular on-site production using only air, water and electricity. Solidec’s platform is powered by modular reactors capable of producing widely used chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide, formic acid, acetic acid and ethylene.

“We’ve known the Solidec team for almost two years and have developed a high degree of conviction in the team, their technology, and their go-to-market strategy,” Eric Rubenstein, managing partner at New Climate Ventures, said in a news release. “We’re particularly excited about Solidec’s ability to produce many different widely used chemicals. It gives them critical flexibility to expand and serve a broad customer base.”

Solidec is initially focusing on hydrogen peroxide.

“Traditionally, hydrogen peroxide is produced in centralized, energy-intensive facilities using carbon-intensive inputs, then transported long distances, resulting in a significant carbon footprint,” Ryan DuChanois, co-founder and CEO of Solidec, said in the release. “Solidec’s modular reactor produces clean chemicals like hydrogen peroxide on-site, in fewer steps, and with less energy, slashing emissions, supply-chain risk, and cost.”

Solidec said its technology “is poised to disrupt the multibillion-dollar commodity and chemical industries.” The company has already signed up several customers.

The startup, a Rice University spinout, is a graduate of the Chevron Catalyst Program and a member of Greentown Labs Houston. It was cofounded by DuChanois, Haotian Wang and Yang Xia.

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