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Houston tech company lands DARPA grant to develop ocean energy system

fresh funding

Yokogawa Corporation of America will work with eight research institutions to develop a new way to harvest energy from oceans. Photo via Getty Images.

Sugar Land-based advanced tech company Yokogawa Corporation of America, in collaboration with eight research institutions, has been awarded a $7.8 million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop and test a biologically fueled energy system.

The system known as Persistent Oceanographic Device Power, or PODPower, shows a pioneering advancement in microbial fuel cells (MFCs), a technology that aims to redefine how energy is harvested from oceans.

“Advancements in this area will play a role in our future as we harness this knowledge to address GHG emissions, produce clean energy, and enhance waste treatment,” Amro Hassanein, co-principal investigator and technology strategist, said in a news release.

The grant funds the system's Phase 1 development and deployment, and research is scheduled to continue through the summer of 2026. The company says the project has potential applications in climate monitoring, marine research, national security and clean energy generation.

The initiative will attempt to develop an MFC capable of generating up to 10 watts of continuous power for oceanic research and sensing devices through the use of microorganisms found in ocean water and specific bacteria samples.

“MFCs can process a variety of organic substrates including wastewater, agricultural residues, industrial byproducts, and marine biomass, demonstrating their versatility in applications such as on-site power generation bioremediation and biosensing,” Hassanein said in the news release.

As the only private company in the project, Yokogawa will lead the technical aspect to optimize the MFC technology through precision monitoring, data acquisition and machine learning algorithms.

The project team also includes collaborators from:

  • University of Maryland
  • Harvard University
  • Battelle
  • George Washington University
  • The Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology at the University of Maryland
  • Baltimore County
  • James Madison University
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • The University of Delaware.

Yokogawa believes that the system could power ocean sensing devices that provide key information for monitoring climate change, maintaining national security and understanding marine environments. The project plans to integrate bio-inspired organic matter collection systems, advanced fermentation processes and novel electrode designs.

Yokogawa Corporation of America is an affiliate of Tokyo-based manufacturing company Yokogawa. It moved its headquarters to Sugar Land in 2009.
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Halliburton Labs names 4 new clean energy startups to incubator

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Four new companies have joined Halliburton Labs, the incubator for early-stage energy and climate startups run by Houston energy giant Halliburton.

Halliburton Labs provides the emerging companies with mentorship, industry connections, laboratory access and other resources as they work toward commercialization, according to a news release.

The four new members include:

  • Nandina REM, a Singapore-based company that delivers carbon fiber thermoplastics. It turns end-of-life assets into new, reliable, high-performance materials for the aviation, aerospace and defense industries in a fraction of the time of standard supply chains.
  • Noon Energy, a California-based company that delivers clean, reliable electricity with ultra-long duration energy storage. Its system uses solid oxide electrochemical cells and stores energy as abundant, flexible industrial gases.
  • Proof Energy, a Silicon Valley-based company developed by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory that is commercializing next-generation metallic solid oxide fuel cell (M-SOFC) technology. Its system uses widely available fuels such as ethanol, methanol, ammonia, and natural gas as hydrogen carriers to enable lower-cost, low-emission commercial transportation, and also offers a zero-emission heating solution to preserve battery range in electric vehicles.
  • Tidal Metals, a New Jersey-based company that has developed technology to economically make decarbonized magnesium metal from seawater and electricity.

"Halliburton Labs exemplifies our commitment to advance a secure and pragmatic energy future," Jeff Miller, chairman, president and CEO of Halliburton, said in the news release. "We welcome these companies into our ecosystem, where they will gain access to the tools, expertise, and connections needed to scale their technologies."

Auckland-based Aquafortus Technologies and California-based Sunchem joined Halliburton Labs in September. With the addition of the four new members, the incubator currently supports six early-stage companies.

Read more about the incubator's 2025 cohort here.

Houston-area company to develop next-gen batteries for electric helicopters

emissions-free flight

Webster-based KULR Technology Group has announced a strategic co-development collaboration with Robinson Helicopter Company (RHC) to develop a next-generation, high-performance battery system for the eR66 battery-electric helicopter demonstrator.

KULR, an electronics manufacturing company, will serve as the developer of the advanced battery system for the eR66 platform. KULR will design and integrate a high-performance battery structure that uses its proprietary battery safety technologies and thermal management solutions, previously developed for aerospace and spaceflight applications.

California-based Robinson Helicopter Company is the world's leading manufacturer of civil helicopters. Its eR66 is expected to deliver zero-emission, affordable and quiet performance for “high-demand applications.”

“Robinson Helicopter has built more civil helicopters than any manufacturer on Earth, and their commitment to reliability is exactly the standard KULR’s battery architecture is designed to meet,” Michael Mo, CEO of KULR, said in a news release. “KULR’s battery systems have been qualified for NASA spaceflight. They were designed from day one for dual use: a primary flight cycle and a certified second life. The eR66 is where that architecture proves itself in rotorcraft.”

David Smith, president and CEO of Robinson Helicopter Company, cited the partnership as a shift in service for commercial and civil operations and touted the potential environmental benefits.

“By integrating electric propulsion, we aren't just reducing our environmental impact; we are unlocking critical new capabilities for life-saving missions,” Smith added in the release. “For use cases like rapid organ and tissue transport, the reduced acoustic signature and zero-emission profile ensure that time-sensitive, low-emission deliveries are faster, quieter, and more sustainable than ever before."

The companies say, through the partnership, they aim to:

  • Advance eR66 performance
  • Enhance aviation safety
  • Increase cost efficiency
  • Uphold American aerospace leadership
  • Support decarbonization
  • Promote circular economy principles

Tesla's EV Robotaxis officially launch in Texas' largest metros

On The Road

Tesla’s Robotaxi service has taken to the streets of Houston. In a brief statement Saturday, April 18 on its X social media account, Tesla Robotaxi says the autonomous rideshare service just launched in Texas’ two biggest metro areas — Houston and Dallas.

“Try Tesla Robotaxi in Dallas & Houston!” Tesla CEO Elon Musk says in a reposting on X of the Robotaxi announcement.

One of Robotaxi’s competitors, Alphabet-owned Waymo, beat the Tesla service to the Dallas, Houston, and Austin markets. Another competitor, Amazon-owned Zoox, has Dallas flagged for its autonomous rideshare service.

Robotaxi previously kicked off in Austin, where Tesla is based and manufactures electric vehicles, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Nearly 50 Robotaxis operate in Austin, where the service’s inaugural rides happened last year, and more than 500 in the San Francisco area.

Of the three rides logged in a 31-square-mile area in Dallas as of Monday morning, the average fare was $7.96 and the average trip was 3.5 miles, according to an online tracker of autonomous rideshare services. The tracker showed only one Robotaxi was on the roads in Dallas.

As of Monday morning, a 25-square-mile area in Houston had two Robotaxis on the road, according to the online tracker. The average fare for five recorded rides was $11.34 and the average trip was six miles.

“We want Robotaxi pricing to be simple and easy for you to understand,” according to the Robotaxi website. “Initially, as part of our introductory program, we will charge a simple, affordable rate plus applicable taxes and fees for all rides within the available service area.”

The tracker shows the Robotaxi in Dallas did not have a human aboard to monitor each trip, and only one of Houston’s two Robotaxis did not have a human monitor in the driver’s seat.

For now, all passengers ride in Tesla Model Y cars. Robotaxi operates from 6 am-2 am daily.

To use the service, you first must download the Robotaxi app, which works only on iPhones.

Robotaxi lets you stream music and adjust climate settings and seat positioning from the Robotaxi app or the vehicle’s touchscreen. Climate and media settings are stored in your Robotaxi profile and automatically transfer from one vehicle to another. If you own a Tesla, certain profile settings and media preferences are available in your own car as well as in a Robotaxi.

In January at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Musk said a “widespread” network of driverless rideshare vehicles would be operating in the U.S. by the end of this year, CNBC reported.

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This article originally appeared on CultureMap.com.

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