Editor’s note: As the year draws to a close, InnovationMap is looking back at the top Houston innovation stories of the year. As the energy capital of the world, Houston has had a number of energy tech stories that got our readers talking, including the launch of EnergyCapitalHTX, a sister publication to InnovationMap. Click to read the full story.
Houston-based battery innovator receives $4 million in federal funding
Houston-based Zeta Energy has received new funding from the government. Image via Zeta Energy
Houston-based Zeta Energy announced this week that it has been selected to receive $4 million in federal funding to develop efficient electric vehicle batteries.
The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Energy’s ARPA-E Electric Vehicles for Americans’ Low Carbon Lives (EVs4ALL) program, which aims to increase the number of electric vehicles on the road by strengthening the domestic supply chain of affordable, convenient, reliable and safe batteries.
Zeta Energy is one of 12 U.S. organizations to receive a total of $42 million in funding from the program.
“Electric vehicle sales in the United States have tripled since the start of my Administration, and the projects announced today will make electric vehicles attractive to even more drivers by addressing battery efficiency, durability and affordability,” U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm said in a statement earlier this week. “This is a win-win in our efforts to fight climate change and advance America’s clean transportation future with technology created by American researchers and scientists.”
Continue reading for January’s article.
Eight energy tech startups honored at Houston’s CERAWeek pitch competition
Startups win at CERAWeek. Photo credit: Natalie Harms/InnovationMap
More than 200 startups attended CERAWeek this year, with 18 of them presenting at the Greater Houston Partnership event.
The Houston Energy Transition Initiative, an initiative to promote energy transition activities in Houston, hosted the second HETI Energy Venture Competition at CERAWeek Innovation Agora, which is divided into four categories: The first startup batch consisted of five companies from Greentown Lab, the Martin Trust Entrepreneurship Center at MIT, and the Texas Entrepreneurship Exchange for Energy (TEX-E) in collaboration with universities across the state.
The winning startups shared a $50,000 prize, sponsored by TEX-E. Houston-based Helix Earth Technologies, which developed a fast, efficient filtration system using technology from NASA, won both the Grand Prize and Fan Favorite awards in the category. Helix co-founders Rawand Rasheed and Brad Husick of Rice University took home the $25,000 prize.
Continue reading our March article.
Gow Media Launches New Energy Transition Media Platform Backed by GHP
Houston gets new news outlet on energy transition. Photo via Getty Images
Historically, Houston has been an important hub for the energy industry, and now, in the midst of the energy transition, Houston is planning to play a major role in this area as well, with news media covering the journey.
Gow Media, the Houston-based multi-platform media company and parent company of InnovationMap, CultureMap, SportsMap and ESPN Radio 97.5FM and 92.5FM, has announced plans to launch energycapitalhtx.com.
“Houston is leading the energy transition by attracting some of the city’s best and brightest talent,” said David Gow, CEO of Gow Media. “We’re deeply impressed with the work of the Greater Houston Partnership’s Houston Energy Transition Initiative and look forward to EnergyCapitalHTX being a voice for the energy transition.”
Continue reading our March article.
Report: Texas is the perfect place to lead the hydrogen economy
A new report finds that Texas’ existing energy infrastructure makes it the perfect place to lead the development of a hydrogen economy. Photo via Getty Images
According to a new report from Rice University, all signs point to Texas being a leader in developing the hydrogen market.
The Baker Institute for Public Policy released a new report this week on the hydrogen economy and Texas’ role in it. Experts say Texas’ traditional energy industry and geology make it an ideal home for hydrogen as an energy source. Ken Medlock, senior director of the Baker Institute’s Center for Energy Studies, and Shi Yu (Elsie) Hung, research manager at the center, wrote the report.
“Texas is highly positioned to play a leading role in driving hydrogen market growth, but whether this occurs will depend on evolving policies and market structures,” the co-authors wrote.
Continue reading for February’s article.
Fast-growing startup offering carbon-free solutions sets up pilot plant in Houston
The opening of the pilot plant marks the debut of Cemvita’s eCO2 business as a wholly owned subsidiary. Photo credit: Cemvita
Clean tech startup Cemvita has set up a pilot plant in its hometown of Houston to develop technology to use carbon dioxide emissions as a feedstock to produce products such as fertilizer, plastics, methane and fuels.
The opening of the pilot plant marks the debut of Cemvita’s eCO2 business as a wholly owned subsidiary. The term eCO2 refers to carbon dioxide equivalent, a way of measuring the combination of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane.
The facility, which has a production capacity of more than 14,000 gallons, produces eCO2 oil, an alternative to soybean oil, and the company has already shipped samples of its eCO2 product to customers, including renewable fuel companies and plastics manufacturers.
Continue reading for April’s article.
