Houston energy transition leader to spearhead urban reforestation initiative

seeing green

SCS Technologies named Jane Stricker, executive director of HETI, as the executive chairperson of its inaugural urban reforestation event next month. Photo via GHP

One of Houston's foremost energy transition leaders has been named to a community urban reforestation project from a Texas energy company.

Big Spring, Texas-based SCS Technologies named Jane Stricker, executive director of the Greater Houston Partnership’s Houston Energy Transition Initiative, as the executive chairperson of its inaugural urban reforestation event next month.

SCS, a provider of liquid hydrocarbon, water, and CO2 measurement systems, is holding the event on March 23 at the Galena Park Resource and Training Center in Galena Park, Texas, in collaboration with One Tree Planted and Trees for Houston.

“We are honored that Jane Stricker is spearheading our Galena Park tree-planting effort. As a revered leader in the energy transformation movement, Jane's impact is profound across Houston’s diverse energy sector and internationally,” Cody Johnson, CEO of SCS Technologies, says in a news release. “Jane's stewardship of this event underscores the vital importance of fostering partnerships between the community and industry to improve local environments and make strides in reducing our collective carbon footprint.

"Our donation of trees to the Galena Park area—a community just east of Houston materially affected by emissions from surrounding petrochemical plants—is one step towards environmental restoration and tree equity," he continues.

The goal for the event is to give out 1,125 shade, flowering, and fruit trees to community members, who will be asked to plant at their homes and businesses.

“The vast undertaking of the energy transformation requires more than just technological innovation; it demands a shared commitment from all sectors to enact real change. SCS Technologies is leading by example, demonstrating how innovative solutions and community-focused actions can drive meaningful change,” Stricker adds in the release. “As the executive chairperson, I am proud to be part of the Galena Park tree distribution event, an initiative that illustrates our shared dedication to environmental sustainability and community enrichment. The impact of these trees extends beyond carbon sequestration, bringing beauty and much-needed shade from our hot summer sun to the Galena Park community.”

The initiative is a part of SCS's goal to plant 100,000 trees in "economically challenged urban neighborhoods" across Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana by 2030. The company, per its environmental initiatives, is also participating in SME Net Zero by 2050.

Baker Hughes has made two grants to nonprofits looking to support a diverse workforce. Photo via bakerhughes.com

Houston-based Baker Hughes pledges $175,000 to nonprofits with diversity-focused initiatives

funds granted

The nonprofit arm of a Houston-based energy company has made two grants into organizations focused on supplier diversity.

Earlier this week, the Baker Hughes Foundation revealed details on a $75,000 grant to Houston Minority Supplier Development Council, or HMSDC, and a $100,000 grant to Washington, D.C.-based WEConnect International. HMSDC supports economic growth of minority-owned businesses, and WEConnect International is focused on women-owned companies.

“At Baker Hughes, supplier diversity is integral to our success, and it is our duty to support organizations that fuel building a more inclusive supply base and take the steps necessary to ensure business practices mirror our diverse landscape,” Lynn Buckley, Supplier Diversity and Business Development Sourcing leader, says in a news release.

HMSDC's grant will go toward creating a training program for minority entrepreneurs.

“We believe to close the equity gap in communities of color, we must ensure that diverse businesses understand and meet the business sustainability requirements of today’s corporate and government supply chains,” Ingrid M. Robinson, president of HMSDC, says in the release. “This grant allows us to share sustainability best practices with minority-owned businesses and help them develop and integrate sustainability focused policies and processes that will allow them to grow their businesses.”

Meanwhile, the funding for WEConnect International will be used on nationwide marketing campaigns and learnings systems to help grow the WEConnect network.

“We are thrilled to receive this generous grant from the Baker Hughes Foundation, which will enable us to expand our network of women-owned businesses and promote gender-inclusive procurement practices globally," Elizabeth A. Vazquez, CEO and co-founder of WEConnect International, says in the release. "We share Baker Hughes’ vision of advancing sustainable economic growth and reducing inequality, and we look forward to working together to create more opportunities for women entrepreneurs in the energy sector and beyond."

The Baker Hughes Foundation has made other contributions recently, including a grant towards One Tree Planted and a $100,000 grant to the University of Houston's Energy Transition Institute.

For the third time, the Baker Hughes Foundation has granted funding to One Tree Planted, totalling its impact to $1 million toward reforestation. Photo via onetreeplanted.org

Houston energy company triples down on funding to tree planting nonprofit with $1M total impact

reforestation station

Baker Hughes has doled out another grant for an organization that's growing a global impact.

The Baker Hughes Foundation announced its third grant to One Tree Planted, which is hoping to put 1 million new trees into the ecosystems of 17 countries. The foundation initially donated $250,000 to the organization in 2021 and followed up with a $350,000 grant in 2022. This most recent contribution, which was announced this week, did not disclose the monetary amount.

“This milestone speaks to our commitment to environmental sustainability, and I want to recognize the contributions of our employees, who last year came together across the world to plant trees in the areas where we work and live,” Baker Hughes Chairman and CEO Lorenzo Simonelli says in a news release. “I am grateful for their continued dedication to our sustainability goals and am inspired by what we and One Tree Planted can accomplish together.”

According to the company, Baker Hughes Foundation has contributed an impact of $1 million to One Tree Planted over the past three years. Its 2021 grant resulted in planting 268,000 trees, and in 2022, 350,000 trees were planted. With this latest grant, Baker Hughes adds 382,000 trees to that tally, targeting several areas where the company has a business presence, including the Andes region of South America; British Columbia, Canada; China; France; Germany; Scotland; and Texas, U.S.

“We all have a role to play in protecting the environment and combating climate change, and we admire the Baker Hughes Foundation’s continued dedication to being a force for good,” Matt Hill, founder of One Tree Planted, adds in the release. “With the Baker Hughes Foundation’s impressive commitment to giving back to the environment by planting 1 million trees to date, we are making a powerful impact for nature and communities in 17 countries around the world.”

Last month, the Baker Hughes Foundation doled out a $100,000 grant to the University of Houston Energy Transition Institute. The funding reportedly will work towards the ETI’s goals to support workforce development programs, and environmental justice research. The program addresses the impact of energy transition solutions in geographical areas most-affected by environmental impacts.

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Houston climatech incubator names new CFO

onboarding

Greentown Labs, a climatech incubator with locations in Houston and Somerville, Massachusetts, has hired Naheed Malik as its chief financial officer. In her new role, she oversees finance, accounting and human resources.

Malik previously worked at American Tower Corp., an owner of wireless communication towers. During her 12-year tenure there, she was vice president of financial planning and analysis, and vice president of corporate finance.

Before American Tower, Malik led financial planning and analysis at Wolters Kluwer Health, and was a management consultant at Kearney and an audit CPA at EY.

Kevin Dutt, Greentown’s interim CEO, says in a news release that Malik’s “deep expertise will be a boon for Greentown as we seek to serve even more climatech startups in our home states of Massachusetts and Texas, and beyond.”

“I am delighted to join Greentown at such an exciting time in its organizational growth,” Malik says. “As a nonprofit that’s deeply dedicated to its mission of supporting climatech innovation, Greentown is poised to build on its impressive track record and expand its impact in the years to come.”

Greentown bills itself as North America’s largest incubator for climatech startups. Today, it’s home to more than 200 startups. Since its founding in 2011, Greentown has nurtured more than 575 startups that have raised over $8.2 billion in funding.

Last year, Greentown’s CEO and president Kevin Knobloch announced that he would be stepping down in July 2024, after less than a year in the role. The incubator. About a month before the announcement, Knobloch reported that Greentown would reduce its staff by 30 percent, eliminating roles in Boston and Houston. He noted changes in leadership, growth of the team and adjustments following the pandemic.

Greentown plans to announce its new permanent CEO by the end of the month.

Being prepared: Has the Texas grid been adequately winterized?

Winter in Texas

Houstonians may feel anxious as the city and state brace for additional freezing temperatures this winter. Every year since 2021’s Winter Storm Uri, Texans wonder whether the grid will keep them safe in the face of another winter weather event. The record-breaking cold temperatures of Uri exposed a crucial vulnerability in the state’s power and water infrastructure.

According to ERCOT’s 6-day supply and demand forecast from January 3, 2025, it expected plenty of generation capacity to meet the needs of Texans during the most recent period of colder weather. So why did the grid fail so spectacularly in 2021?

Demand for electricity surged as millions of people tried to heat their homes.
ERCOT was simply not prepared despite previous winter storms of similar intensity to offer lessons in similarities.
The state was highly dependent on un-winterized natural gas power plants for electricity.
The Texas grid is isolated from other states.
Failures of communication and coordination between ERCOT, state officials, utility companies, gas suppliers, electricity providers, and power plants contributed to the devastating outages.

The domino effect resulted in power outages for millions of Texans, the deaths of hundreds of Texans, billions of dollars in damages, with some households going nearly a week without heat, power, and water. This catastrophe highlighted the need for swift and sweeping upgrades and protections against future extreme weather events.

Texas State Legislature Responds

Texas lawmakers proactively introduced and passed legislation aimed at upgrading the state’s power infrastructure and preventing repeated failures within weeks of the storm. Senate Bill 3 (SB3) measures included:

Requirements to weatherize gas supply chain and pipeline facilities that sell electric energy within ERCOT.
The ability to impose penalties of up to $1 million for violation of these requirements.
Requirement for ERCOT to procure new power sources to ensure grid reliability during extreme heat and extreme cold.
Designation of specific natural gas facilities that are critical for power delivery during energy emergencies.
Development of an alert system that is to be activated when supply may not be able to meet demand.
Requirement for the Public Utility Commission of Texas, or PUCT, to establish an emergency wholesale electricity pricing program.

Texas Weatherization by Natural Gas Plants

In a Railroad Commission of Texas document published May 2024 and geared to gas supply chain and pipeline facilities, dozens of solutions were outlined with weatherization best practices and approaches in an effort to prevent another climate-affected crisis from severe winter weather.

Some solutions included:

Installation of insulation on critical components of a facility.
Construction of permanent or temporary windbreaks, housing, or barriers around critical equipment to reduce the impact of windchill.
Guidelines for the removal of ice and snow from critical equipment.
Instructions for the use of temporary heat systems on localized freezing problems like heating blankets, catalytic heaters, or fuel line heaters.

According to Daniel Cohan, professor of environmental engineering at Rice University, power plants across Texas have installed hundreds of millions of dollars worth of weatherization upgrades to their facilities. In ERCOT’s January 2022 winterization report, it stated that 321 out of 324 electricity generation units and transmission facilities fully passed the new regulations.

Is the Texas Grid Adequately Winterized?

Utilities, power generators, ERCOT, and the PUCT have all made changes to their operations and facilities since 2021 to be better prepared for extreme winter weather. Are these changes enough? Has the Texas grid officially been winterized?

This season, as winter weather tests Texans, residents may potentially experience localized outages. When tree branches cannot support the weight of the ice, they can snap and knock out power lines to neighborhoods across the state. In the instance of a downed power line, we must rely on regional utilities to act quickly to restore power.

The specific legislation enacted by the Texas state government in response to the 2021 disaster addressed to the relevant parties ensures that they have done their part to winterize the Texas grid.

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Sam Luna is director at BKV Energy, where he oversees brand and go-to-market strategy, customer experience, marketing execution, and more.

This article first appeared on our sister site, InnovationMap.com.

Halliburton names 5 clean energy startups to latest incubator cohort

clean team

Halliburton Labs has named five companies to its latest cohort, including one from Texas.

All of the companies are working to help accelerate the future of the energy industry in different ways. The incubator aims to advance the companies’ commercialization with support from Halliburton's network, facilities and financing opportunities.

The five new members include:

360 Energy, an Austin-based in-field computing company with technology that is able to capture flared or stranded gas and monetize it through modular data centers
Cella, a New York-based mineral storage company that provides end-to-end services, from resource assessment to proprietary injection technology, and monitoring techniques to provide geologic carbon storage solutions
Espiku, an engineering services company based in Bend, Oregon, that finds solutions that advance water and minerals recovery from brines and industrial-produced water streams
Mitico, based in Los Angeles, that offers technology services to capture carbon dioxide by using its patent-pending granulated metal carbonate sorption technology (GMC) that captures more than 95% of the CO2 emitted from post-combustion point sources
NuCube, a Pasadena, California-based company with a nuclear fission reactor under development

“We welcome these innovative energy startups,” Dale Winger, managing director of Halliburton Labs, said in a news release. “We are eager to help these participant companies use their time and capital efficiently to progress new solutions that meet industry requirements for cost, reliability, and sustainability.”

Halliburton Labs also announced that it will host the Finalists Pitch Day on March 26, 2025, in Denver for energy and decarbonization industry innovators, startups and investors ahead of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Industry Growth Forum. The pitch event will precede registration and the opening reception of the NREL forum. Find more information here.

Adena Power, an Ohio-based clean energy startup, was the latest to join Halliburton Labs prior to the new cohort. The company used three patented materials to produce a sodium-based battery that delivers clean, safe and long-lasting energy storage.

The incubator also named San Francisco-based venture capital investor Pulakesh Mukherjee, partner at Imperative Ventures, which specializes in hard tech decarbonization startups, to its advisory board last spring.

Read more about the incubator's 2023 cohort here.

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