University of Houston introduces robotics training programming for energy industry

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UH is developing a wide range of robotics programming for the energy industry. Photo courtesy of University of Houston

Over the past 14 months, UH Energy at the University of Houston has developed a unique robotics training program for the energy industry.

UH Subsea Systems Institute and SPRINT Robotics teamed up to make the robotics-focused curriculum “Robotics in Energy,” which debuted in May. The two-day course offered hands-on training experience with innovative robotics technologies and attracted professionals from the oil and gas industry like participants from Chevron, and renewable energy sectors made up the 40 companies that were involved. The first day focused on topics like impact on business, safety and reliability, and risk analysis all within the spectrum of the energy industry. The second day of the course included a site tour at Sonardyne with instructor-led demonstrations of robotics technologies.

Wenyu Zuo, SSI coordinator of the robotics curriculum tells the University that he believes this will “address a critical workforce challenge.”

“The robotics program will help workforce development to give them robotic knowledge to help them to use robots to improve the quality, and in the future, the demand for remote operations- this is very important for current energy companies,” Zuo says.

The unique programming will prepare and upskill a workforce where robotics have a seat at the table. Photo via uh.edu

The Robotics in Energy class is the first of four modules in the robotics curriculum. The next courses are Robotics Foundation, Automation and Autonomy, and AI & the Vision for Integration, and are expected to be offered sometime later in 2023. Robotics Foundation will be a fundamentals of robotics course, Automation and Autonomy will aim to go in-depth on automation and robotics, and AI & the Vision for Integration,will look to “enhance integrity within energy operations” according to the official course descriptions.

While renewable energies and other energy innovations are being more accepted into the discourse among the industry, the UH Subsea Systems Institute saw an opening to integrate robotics as a new innovation for companies to consider.

“We are upscaling…we see the energy industry from an innovation perspective as very invested in certain things, but not very invested in this automation and robotics space, so it is quite needy “ says John Allen, adviser to the program who previously has experience as an executive at General Electric and Automation Machinery Manufacturing along with various other energy organizations.

When labor-intensive work conditions offshore provide some risk to the humans doing the job, robotics may work in the environment to get people out of “harm's way” and “automate” the work according to Allen.

For now, the workforce is the audience that they are targeting to help companies catch up with the technology, which the course hopes to evolve with.

“In the future, as the technology is developing , and robotics is rapidly developing technology, we want to keep it (the program) evolving year-by-year,” Zuo says on how Robotics in Energy may look going forward.

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Houston startup lands $1B from Blackstone and Halliburton, plans acquisition

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Houston-based power generation startup VoltaGrid has nailed down a $1 billion equity investment from asset management heavyweight Blackstone and Houston-based oilfield services provider Halliburton.

The investment comes in two forms:

A $775 million primary capital raise
A $225 million secondary capital purchase from existing investors

VoltaGrid, founded in 2020, provides behind-the-meter mobile power generation equipment for data centers, microgrids and industrial customers.

Aside from the $1 billion investment, VoltaGrid has agreed to buy Propell Energy Technology, a VoltaGrid supplier, for an undisclosed amount. Propell offers a natural gas power generation platform for AI data centers. VoltaGrid plans to add two manufacturing plants at Propell’s facilities in Granbury, a Dallas-Fort Worth suburb.

The investment and acquisition deals are expected to close in mid-2026.

Funds managed by Blackstone Tactical Opportunities are contributing to the $1 billion investment. William Nicholson, managing director of Blackstone, called VoltaGrid “a highly differentiated platform addressing one of the most important infrastructure needs of the AI era: reliable, rapidly deployable power. This investment is a strong example of Tac Opps’ focus on providing flexible, scaled capital to exceptional entrepreneurs and businesses operating in Blackstone’s highest-conviction investment themes.”

Nathan Ough, founder and CEO of VoltaGrid, said in a release that the Blackstone investment “is a powerful endorsement of the platform we have built and the role VoltaGrid is playing in delivering the energy infrastructure of the AI era.”

Last October, VoltaGrid and Halliburton said they had forged a partnership to supply power for data centers around the world, with the Middle East picked as the initial target. Two months later, the companies said they had arranged the manufacturing of 400 megawatts of natural gas power systems that’ll be delivered in 2028 to support new data centers in the Eastern Hemisphere.

Jeff Miller, president and CEO of Halliburton, said his company’s investment in VoltaGrid “reflects our shared focus on long-term solutions for the world’s most demanding power environments, and advances VoltaGrid’s ability to deliver reliable, distributed power at scale.”

Report shows geoscientists earn largest salary premium in Texas

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A move to Texas bolsters earnings for some, and a new SmartAsset study has revealed the top professions where the median annual earnings in the Lone Star State exceed the national median.

The report, "When it Pays to Work in Texas — and When It Doesn’t," published in April, analyzed over 700 occupations to determine which have the biggest "Texas premium" — meaning jobs where the price-adjusted median annual pay in Texas most exceeds the national median for the same occupation — and which jobs have the biggest “Texas penalty,” where the statewide median annual pay falls furthest below the national median. Salaries were sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and adjusted for regional price parity.

According to the report's findings, geoscientists have the biggest "Texas premium" and make a $159,903 median annual salary. Texas' salary for geoscientists is 61 percent higher than the national median for the same position (after adjusting for regional price parity).

"Texas’s large petroleum industry helps explain why employers in the state retain so many geoscientists," the report's author wrote. "In fact, the Lone Star State is home to more geoscientists than any other state except California."

There are more than 3,600 geoscientists working in Texas, SmartAsset said.

These are the remaining top 10 occupations with the biggest "Texas premiums" (salaries are price-adjusted):

No. 2 – Commercial pilots: $167,727 median Texas earnings; 37 percent higher than the national median
No. 3 – Sailors: $67,614 median Texas earnings; 36 percent higher than the national median
No. 4 – Aircraft structure assemblers: $83,519 median Texas earnings; 35 percent higher than the national median
No. 5 – Ship captains: $108,905 median Texas earnings; 27 percent higher than the national median
No. 6 – Nursing instructors (postsecondary): $100,484 median Texas earnings; 26 percent higher than the national median
No. 7 – Tax preparers: $63,321 median Texas earnings; 25 percent higher than the national median
No. 8 – Chemists: $104,241 median Texas earnings; 24 percent higher than the national median
No. 9 – Health instructors (postsecondary): $128,680 median Texas earnings; 22 percent higher than the national median
No. 10 – Engineering instructors (postsecondary): $129,030 median Texas earnings; 22 percent higher than the national median

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This article originally appeared on CultureMap.com.

Solar manufacturer expands Houston footprint with new 4-gigawatt factory

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Houston-based SEG Solar plans to open a new 4-gigawatt solar module manufacturing facility in Cypress.

The facility represents more than a $200 million investment and will raise SEG's total annual U.S. module production capacity to approximately 6 gigawatts, according to a new release. The expansion is part of SEG’s long-term goal of becoming one of the largest 100 percent U.S.-owned module manufacturers.

The new 500,000-square-foot facility will be located on Telge Road and is expected to create 800 new jobs, according to reports.

“This new facility marks an important milestone for SEG,” Timothy Johnson, VP of operations, said in the release. “It will further strengthen our U.S. manufacturing capabilities while supporting ongoing technology innovation. The plant is designed with the flexibility to integrate next-generation technologies, including (heterojunction solar technology) as the industry evolves.”

Commercial operations at the new facility are expected to commence in Q3 2026.

SEG is also developing a 5-gigawatt ingot and wafer manufacturing facility in Indonesia. Construction on the facility is expected to begin in Q2 2026.

In 2024, SEG Solar opened a new $60 million, 250,000-square-foot facility in Houston to house its production workshops, raw material warehouses, administrative offices, finished goods warehouses and supporting infrastructure. Read more here.

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