University of Houston pockets $5M in DOE funding for superconductivity projects

taking on tape

Two UH-affiliated organizations scored DOE funding for advancing superconductivity projects. Photo courtesy of UH

A program within the U.S. Department of Energy has deployed $10 million into three projects working on superconducting tape innovation. Two of these projects are based on research from the University of Houston.

The DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, or ARPA-E, issued the funding through its Novel Superconducting Technologies for Conductors Exploratory Topic. Superconductivity — found only in certain materials — is a focus point for the DOE because it allows for the conduction of direct electric current without resistance or energy loss.

The demand for HTS, or high-temperature superconducting, tapes has risen as the country moves toward net-zero energy, driving up the cost of the materials, which are manufactured outside of the U.S. Here's where the DOE wants to help.

“If we can improve superconductors and manufacture them here in the United States, we can ultimately speed up the energy transition through enabling cost savings, faster production, and improved capability,” ARPA-E Director Evelyn N. Wang says in the DOE press release. “The teams [selected] will all pursue ARPA-E’s mission to lower emissions, bolster national security, increase energy independence and improve energy efficiency through their critical research.”

Selva Research Group, a team from UH focused on scaling HTS tape production and led by Venkat Selvamanickam, M.D. Anderson Chair Professor of Mechanical Engineering and director of the Advanced Manufacturing Institute, received a $2 million grant.

“Even though our superconducting tape is three times better than today’s industry products, for us to be able to take it to full-scale commercialization, we need to produce it faster and at a lower cost while maintaining its high quality,” Selvamanickam says in a UH press release. “This funding is to address this challenge and it’s an important step forward towards commercialization of our technology.”

The other UH-based team is MetOx Technologies, which secured $3 million in funding to support the advancement of its proprietary manufacturing technology for its HTS wire. Co-founded in 1998 by Alex Ignatiev, UH professor emeritus of physics and a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, who also serves as the company’s chief science officer, MetOx plans to open its new manufacturing facility by the end of the year.

“This ARPA-E funding not only allows MetOx to advance its HTS wire fabrication process that I developed at UH, but also signifies the DOE’s recognition that MetOx is important,” Ignatiev says in the release. “The cost-effective HTS product that MetOx is developing at scale is critical to the national and global application of HTS for the world’s energy needs.”

The ARPA-E funding emphasizes the need for advancement of HTS tape innovation, and UH-affiliated groups receiving two of the three grants indicates the school is a leader in the space — something UH Vice President for Energy and Innovation Ramanan Krishnamoorti is proud of.

“These awards recognize the relevance and quality of the research at UH and our commitment to making a meaningful impact by addressing society’s needs and challenges by transitioning innovations out of research labs and into the real world,” Krishnamoorti says in the release.

High-temperature superconducting tapes have a high potential in the energy transition. Photo courtesy of UH

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Houston startup launches groundbreaking mineral hydrogen pilot

pilot project

Houston climatech company Vema Hydrogen recently completed drilling its first two pilot wells in Quebec for its Engineered Mineral Hydrogen (EMH) pilot. The company says the project is the first EMH pilot of its kind.

Vema’s EMH technology produces low-cost, high-purity hydrogen from subsurface rock formations. It has the capacity to support e-fuel and clean mobility industries and the shipping and air transport markets. The pilot project is the first field deployment of the company’s technology.

“This pilot will provide the critical data needed to validate Engineered Mineral Hydrogen at commercial scale and demonstrate that Quebec can lead the world in this emerging clean energy category,” Pierre Levin, CEO of Vema Hydrogen, said in a news release.

Levin added that the sample collected thus far in the pilot is “exactly what we expected, and is very promising for hydrogen yields.”

Through the pilot, Vema will collect core samples and begin subsurface analysis to evaluate fluid movement and monitor hydrogen production from the wells. The data collected from the pilot will shape Vema's plans for commercialization and provide documentation for proof of concept in the field, according to the news release.

“Vema Hydrogen perfectly embodies the spirit of the grey to green movement: transforming mining liabilities into drivers of innovation and ecological transition,” Ludovic Beauregard, circular economy commissioner at the Thetford Region Economic Development Corporation, added in the release.

“This project demonstrates that it is possible to reconcile the revitalization of mining regions, clean energy and sustainable economic development for these areas.”

In addition to its pilot in Canada, Vema also recently signed a 10-year hydrogen purchase and sale agreement with San Francisco-based Verne Power to supply clean hydrogen for data centers across California. The company was selected as a Qualified Supplier by The First Public Hydrogen Authority, which will allow it to supply clean hydrogen at scale to California’s municipalities, transit agencies and businesses through the FPH2 network.

Vema aims to produce Engineered Mineral Hydrogen for less than $1 per kilogram. The company, founded in 2024, is working toward a gigawatt-scale hydrogen supply in North America.

Houston startup wins funding through new Bezos Earth Fund initiative

global winner

A Houston-based climatech startup is one of the first 16 companies in the world to receive funding through a new partnership between The Bezos Earth Fund and The Earthshot Prize.

Mati Carbon will receive $100,000 through the Bezos Earth Fund’s Acceleration Initiative. The initiative will provide $4.8 million over three years to support climate and nature solutions startups. It's backed by The Bezos Earth Fund, which was founded through a $10 billion gift from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and aims to "transform the fight against climate change."

The Acceleration Initiative will choose 16 startups each year from The Earthshot Prize’s global pool of nominations that were not selected as finalists. The Earthshot Prize, founded by Prince William, awards £1 million to five energy startups each year over a decade.

"The Earthshot Prize selects 15 finalists each year, but our wider pool of nominations represents a global pipeline of innovators and investable solutions that benefit both people and planet. Collaborating with the Bezos Earth Fund to support additional high-potential solutions is at the heart of commitment to working with partners who share our vision," Jason Knauf, CEO of The Earthshot Prize, said in a news release. "By combining our strengths to support 48 carefully selected grantees from The Earthshot Prize’s pool of nominations, our partnership with the Bezos Earth Fund means we will continue to drive systemic change beyond our annual Prize cycle, delivering real-world impact at scale and speed.”

Mati Carbon was founded in 2022 by co-directors Shantanu Agarwal and Rwitwika Bhattacharya. It removes carbon through its Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) program and works with agricultural farms in Africa and India. Mati Carbon says the farmers it partners with are some of the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

"As one of the first 16 organizations selected, this support enables us to expand our operations, move faster and think bigger about the impact we can create," the company shared in a LinkedIn post.

The other grantees from around the world include:

Air Protein Inc.
Climatenza Solar
Instituto Floresta Viva
Forum Konservasi Leuser
Fundación Rewilding Argentina
Hyperion Robotics
InPlanet
Lasso
Mandai Nature
MERMAID
Asociación Conservacionista Misión Tiburón
Simple Planet
Snowchange Cooperative
tHEMEat Company
UP Catalyst

Mati Carbon also won the $50 million grand prize in the XPRIZE Carbon Removal competition, backed by Elon Musk’s charitable organization, The Musk Foundation, last year.

Texas' oil and gas foundation could boost its geothermal future, UH says

future of geothermal

Equipped with the proper policies and investments, Texas could capitalize on its oil and gas infrastructure and expertise to lead the U.S. in development of advanced geothermal power, a new University of Houston white paper says.

Drilling, reservoir development and subsurface engineering are among the Texas oil and gas industry’s capabilities that could translate to geothermal energy, according to a news release. Furthermore, oil and gas skills, data, technology and supply chains could help make geothermal power more cost-effective.

Up to 80 percent of the investment required for a geothermal project involves capacity and skills that are common in the oil and gas industry, the white paper points out.

Building on its existing oil-and-gas foundation, Texas could help accelerate production of geothermal energy, lower geothermal energy costs and create more jobs in the energy workforce, according to the news release.

The paper also highlights geothermal progress made by Houston-based companies Fervo Energy, Quaise Energy and Sage Geosystems, as well as Canada-based Eavor Technologies Inc.

UH’s Division of Energy published the white paper, Advanced Geothermal: Opportunities and Challenges, in partnership with the C.T. Bauer College of Business’ Gutierrez Energy Management Institute.

“Energy demand, especially electricity demand, is continuing to grow, and we need to develop new low-carbon energy sources to meet those needs,” Greg Bean, executive director of the institute and author of the white paper, said of geothermal’s potential.

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