In the nearly 20 years that James Quazi has been a climate tech founder and operator, he’s seen a lot. From solar to geothermal, energy audits to energy storage, he’s had a front row as homeowners have sought to slash their energy use. He’s also been able to observe what makes those startups successful. “You […]
Dandelion co-founder is back to help you electrify your home for less Read More »
If there’s one thing holding back batteries, it’s cost. The most widespread type of battery, lithium-ion, still costs around $140 per kilowatt-hour for a pack. While that’s low enough to have triggered quickening adoption of electric vehicles, even the cheapest lithium-ion chemistries are still too expensive to put a big battery in every home to
Unigrid wants to make batteries cheaper and safer using sodium Read More »
Earlier this year, BASF had to delay the opening of a battery materials plant in Finland when a court agreed with environmental groups that the company didn’t have a good plan to deal with its wastewater. As battery factories spring up around the world, the specter of wastewater threatens to stall their construction. One startup,
Aepnus wants to create a circular economy for key battery manufacturing materials Read More »
For an industry that’s about 20 years old, residential solar is still pretty tumultuous. Some of that can be blamed on shifting regulations, like what happened in California last year where a policy update lengthened the amount of time it took for homeowners to recoup their investments. But other bumps can be attributed to the
Gorilla, a Belgian company that serves the energy sector with real-time data and analytics for pricing and forecasting, has raised €23 million ($25 million) in a Series B round led by U.S. venture capital firm Headline. Founded in 2018, Antwerp-based Gorilla works with energy providers across Europe, the U.S. and Australia, including British Gas’ parent
Gorilla, a Belgian startup that helps energy providers crunch big data, raises $25M Read More »
The folks at Collaborative Fund certainly like a challenge. They don’t specialize in venture capital’s favorite business model, SaaS, preferring instead to invest in sectors like climate, health and food. What’s more, they like companies that focus on consumers, whose fickle attitudes can add another layer of complexity to any business plan. Oh, and they
Climate change might be the most significant environmental disaster facing humanity, but it’s not the only one. In fact, humanity already faces five others out of a total of nine possible doomsday scenarios. With each line we cross, we jeopardize the planet’s ability to self regulate. This concept of planetary boundaries is helpful for scientists,
How many Earths does your lifestyle require? Read More »
Brendan Smith didn’t intend to be in the critical minerals business. He initially thought his high-tech filters would be good at desalination. But it was hard to beat existing systems, so he and his advisor, MIT professor Jeffrey Grossman, quickly ruled it out. After a few years “where we sort of intentionally meandered,” they found
SiTration uses silicon wafers to reclaim critical minerals from mining waste Read More »
There is estimated to be 40 million acres of lawn or turf grass in the U.S., making the grass in people’s backyards one of the largest crops in the U.S.. And, yet, when Coulter Lewis went to find products to take care of the lawn at his new house, he didn’t like his options. Lewis,
DTC lawn care that’s good for the planet Read More »
Conner Galloway and Alexander Valys have followed developments in nuclear fusion research since they were roommates at MIT some 20 years ago. For much of that time, it wasn’t the most exciting pastime: breakthroughs were few and far between, and commercial fusion remained perpetually on the horizon, always 20 years away from providing inexpensive, inexhaustible,
