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ExxonMobil tops Fortune 500 list and more Houston energy news to know

ExxonMobil is the top-ranked Texas company on the Fortune 500 2025. Getty Images

Editor's note: It's time to look back at the biggest energy transition news for the first half of June 2025. Here are the five most-read EnergyCapital stories from June 1-13:

1. Houston earns No. 3 spot among cities with most Fortune 500 headquarters

Twenty-six Houston-area companies landed on the latest Fortune 500 list. Photo via Getty Images

Houston maintained its No. 3 status this year among U.S. metro areas with the most Fortune 500 headquarters. Fortune magazine tallied 26 Fortune 500 headquarters in the Houston area, behind only the New York City area (62) and the Chicago area (30). On the Fortune 500 list for 2025, Spring-based ExxonMobil remained the highest-ranked company based in the Houston area as well as in Texas, sitting at No. 8 nationally. Continue reading.

2. Tech entrepreneur turned climate investor is on a mission to monetize carbon removal

Yao Huang is the guest on the latest episode of the Energy Tech Startups Podcast. Courtesy photo

A seasoned tech entrepreneur turned climate investor, Yao Huang brings sharp clarity to one of the biggest challenges in climate innovation: how do we fund and scale technologies that remove carbon without relying on goodwill or government subsidies? In this episode of the Energy Tech Startups Podcast, Yao sits down for a wide-ranging conversation that redefines how we think about decarbonization. Continue reading.


3. Houston students take home top prizes at DOE wind energy competition

Rice Wind Energy had a strong showing at the DOE's 2025 Collegiate Wind Competition. Photo courtesy Rice University.

The student-led Rice Wind Energy team clinched second place overall at the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2025 Collegiate Wind Competition (CWC), which challenges students nationwide to design and build wind turbines, develop wind energy projects and engage in public outreach to promote renewable energy. Continue reading.

4. Houston biotech company continues to expand in Brazil with new research partner

Cemvita has partnered with Brazilian sustainable research institution REMA. Photo courtesy of Cemvita

Houston biotech company Cemvita has announced a strategic collaboration with Brazilian sustainable research institution REMA. The move aims to promote Cemvita’s platform for evaluating and testing carbon waste streams as feedstocks for producing sustainable oil. Continue reading.

5. 6 Houston energy transition events to attend in June 2025

Meet the newest members of Greentown Labs at Transition on Tap. Photo via Greentown Labs

June has arrived, and with it come more must-attend events in the energy transition sector. Mark your calendar today for these conferences, symposiums, summits, expos, and more. Continue reading.

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A View From HETI

TOYO Solar LLC has begun operations at its solar module manufacturing facility in Humble, Texas. Photo via Pexels.

A local subsidiary of a Japanese solar equipment manufacturer recently began producing solar modules at a new plant in Humble.

TOYO Co. Ltd.’s TOYO Solar LLC subsidiary can produce 1 gigawatt worth of solar modules per year at a 567,140-square-foot plant it leases in Lovett Industrial’s Nexus North Logistics Park on Greens Road. TOYO Solar’s next phase will accommodate 2.5 gigawatts’ worth of solar module manufacturing. The subsidiary eventually plans to expand manufacturing capacity to 6.5 gigawatts.

For now, TOYO Solar operates only one assembly line at the Humble plant. Once TOYO Solar has five assembly lines up and running, it could employ as many as 750 manufacturing workers there, according to Connect CRE.

TOYO says the plant enlarges its U.S. footprint “to be closer to the majority of its clients, meet the demand for American-made solar panels, and contribute to the growing demand for secure, sustainable energy solutions as demands on the grid continue to rise.”

Last month, TOYO purchased the remaining 24.99 percent stake in TOYO Solar to make it a wholly owned subsidiary. TOYO entered the Houston-area market through its 2024 acquisition of a majority stake in Solar Plus Technology Texas LLC.

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