Energy Transition Finance LLC

Last month, the U.S. Senate confirmed Chris Wright as the 17th Secretary of Energy. Secretary Wright brings more than three decades of experience in the energy industry to the Forrestal Building, most recently as the CEO of Liberty Energy, an onshore oilfield services company based in Denver. At his confirmation hearing, he underscored the twin imperatives of boosting domestic energy production and tackling climate change, which he described as a “global challenge that we need to solve.” Secretary Wright’s background spans both the traditional and emerging energy sectors. He founded Liberty Energy in 2011, which grew to become a $2.8 billion company. Wright also sat on the board of directors of Oklo Inc., an advanced nuclear technology company designing compact fast reactors. Wright is also a vocal supporter of the geothermal industry. Liberty Energy is an investor in Fervo Energy, an enhanced geothermal company that uses fracking techniques to extract heat from geologic formations. The sodium-ion battery startup Natron, which raised nearly $19 million from DOE’s ARPA-E program, is also backed by Liberty Energy’s venture arm. Now as the U.S.’s top energy official, Secretary Wright’s message is clear: “we want abundant, cheap energy.” His first secretarial order laid out a nine-point plan to achieve this goal. - Advance Energy Addition, Not Subtraction - Unleash American Energy Innovation - Return to Regular Order on LNG Exports - Promote Affordability and Consumer Choice in Home Appliances - Refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) - Modernize America’s nuclear stockpile - Unleash Commercial Nuclear Power in the United States: - Strengthen Grid Reliability and Security - Streamline Permitting and Identify Undue Burdens on American Energy At ETF, we are excited by Secretary Wright’s track record as an energy entrepreneur. His experience at Liberty Energy and his roles with Oklo Inc. and Fervo Energy demonstrate his commitment to advancing America’s energy goals through an all-of-the-above approach. We look forward to supporting and collaborating with his team as we continue to drive investments in a cleaner, smarter, and more resilient energy future. Image: Kayla Bartkowski via Getty Images

Last month, the U.S. Senate confirmed Chris Wright as the 17th Secretary of Energy. Secretary Wright brings more than three decades of experience in the energy industry to the Forrestal Building, most recently as the CEO of Liberty Energy, an onshore oilfield services company based in Denver. At his confirmation hearing, he underscored the twin imperatives of boosting domestic energy production and tackling climate change, which he described as a “global challenge that we need to solve.” Secretary Wright’s background spans both the traditional and emerging energy sectors. He founded Liberty Energy in 2011, which grew to become a $2.8 billion company. Wright also sat on the board of directors of Oklo Inc., an advanced nuclear technology company designing compact fast reactors. Wright is also a vocal supporter of the geothermal industry. Liberty Energy is an investor in Fervo Energy, an enhanced geothermal company that uses fracking techniques to extract heat from geologic formations. The sodium-ion battery startup Natron, which raised nearly $19 million from DOE’s ARPA-E program, is also backed by Liberty Energy’s venture arm. Now as the U.S.’s top energy official, Secretary Wright’s message is clear: “we want abundant, cheap energy.” His first secretarial order laid out a nine-point plan to achieve this goal. - Advance Energy Addition, Not Subtraction - Unleash American Energy Innovation - Return to Regular Order on LNG Exports - Promote Affordability and Consumer Choice in Home Appliances - Refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) - Modernize America’s nuclear stockpile - Unleash Commercial Nuclear Power in the United States: - Strengthen Grid Reliability and Security - Streamline Permitting and Identify Undue Burdens on American Energy At ETF, we are excited by Secretary Wright’s track record as an energy entrepreneur. His experience at Liberty Energy and his roles with Oklo Inc. and Fervo Energy demonstrate his commitment to advancing America’s energy goals through an all-of-the-above approach. We look forward to supporting and collaborating with his team as we continue to drive investments in a cleaner, smarter, and more resilient energy future. Image: Kayla Bartkowski via Getty Images

Global energy investment surpassed $3 trillion in 2024—a historic milestone. Notably, $2 trillion of this investment went into clean energy technologies and infrastructure, underscoring a powerful shift toward renewables, grid modernization, and energy storage. For the first time, clean energy spending outpaced total investments in oil, gas, and coal. This progress shows the extraordinary momentum of the energy transition, with clean energy investment accelerating dramatically since 2020. However, the road ahead remains complex. As we enter an era of higher borrowing costs, some energy projects are grappling with tighter economics. Yet, supply chain improvements and cost reductions are softening the impact. Solar panel prices have dropped 30% in the past two years. Critical minerals and metals essential for batteries and energy transitions have also seen sharp price declines. This dynamic investment landscape highlights the vital interplay between the private sector and government. While governments play an essential role—through direct incentives, market-shaping policies, and infrastructure development— private capital continues to drive most energy investment decisions. Even amid political uncertainty, the clean energy transition continues to gain traction in the U.S. and globally. Energy Transition Finance LLC is committed to helping companies navigate this fast-evolving landscape, seize opportunities, and accelerate the adoption of sustainable energy solutions. Source: International Energy Agency

Energy Transition Finance is proud to announce that one of our clients was selected as a 48C Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Tax Credit recipient. Our team of experts helped our client successfully identify whether their project qualified for the 48C program and navigate the competitive concept paper and application process. Originally established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Credit (48C) was renewed and expanded under the 48C(e) program with $10 billion in funding from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. 48C(e) is a competitive funding program providing companies the opportunity to apply for project funding, which is then awarded as an investment tax credit. The Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service, in collaboration with the Department of Energy, have now conducted two rounds of tax credit allocations to support projects that expand clean energy manufacturing and recycling, refine and process critical materials, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions at industrial facilities. Round one allocated $4 billion in credits to 100 projects. The Department of Energy received over 350 applications requesting more than $16 billion in 48C tax credits in the second round. $6 billion in credits were awarded to 140 projects in approximately 30 states, including our client's project. https://lnkd.in/es-zB4UD

Hope everyone has recovered from #NewYorkClimateWeek and excited to roll their sleeves up and get to the hard work of accelerating the #energytransition! I wanted to draw people's attention to both some of the key takeaways from #NYCW as well as a lesser known, but no less impactful event that happened in #Chattanooga last week simultaneously, the Southern States Energy Board Annual Meeting with several governors and state energy offices across the southeast represented. While I wasn't able to make it to NYC, word on the street from friends like Jonathan Shieber, that a few obvious needs were highlighted including: -There is a huge need for #FOAK financing to bridge the second valley of death between pilot and commercial scale for emerging clean technologies. -There needs to be better global coordination and cooperation on pricing and tracking carbon. -We have to move beyond solar, wind, and EVs and start making big investments in decarbonizing the hard-to-abate sectors like baseload power, heavy industry like steel, cement, plastics, and chemicals. Meanwhile, a predominantly, but not exclusively, conservative set of Governors gathered in #Chattanooga, Tennessee to discuss ways for the Southeast to stay at the forefront of the energy transition and capitalize on the opportunities created by the #IRA, #BIL, #CHIPS, and #ADVANCE acts, as well as state-led initiatives like TN's Nuclear Fund. -Tennessee Gov Bill Lee is very bullish on Nuclear and would like to set up a consortium of states that are willing to help underwrite #FOAK project risks. -Nebraska Gov Jim Pillen is very active in bioenergy, data centers, and carbon capture. -South Carolina Gov Scott McMaster has seen tremendous growth in manufacturing and supply chains for EVs and batteries and is also very bullish on nuclear. -Louisiana Gov Jeff Landry is focused on #CCUS and #blueh2 / #greenh2 / #turquoiseh2 hydrogen and ammonia production for decarbonizing heavy industry. It was exciting to see how much overlap there was between events with audiences who otherwise often present themselves as diametrically opposed to one another. Long story short, we need everyone on the bandwagon and there's plenty of work to do regardless of how you frame the work. At the end of the day #energytransition is #climateaction and #economicdevelopment.

Government loan programs, like the U.S. Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office (LPO), are proving highly effective in driving the transition to clean energy. With their support, groundbreaking projects—like Wabash Valley Resources' $1.55 billion-backed effort—are becoming a reality. This project will transform a former coal gasification plant in Indiana into a facility that produces ammonia fertilizer while capturing?1.65 million tons of CO2?annually through carbon sequestration. This is a prime example of how public funding can unlock new solutions for decarbonizing industries, benefiting both the environment and the economy. ???? https://lnkd.in/eEKddWhE #CleanEnergy #CarbonCapture #Sustainability #EnergyTransition #Innovation #PublicFunding #LPO

Regime change in the White House will have little impact on the adoption and growth of clean energy technologies in the U.S. The bulk of new manufacturing, a significant economic driver, is coming from Republican-controlled states. These states are reaping substantial economic benefits from the policies enacted under the Biden Administration and it is unlikely that representatives will want to see those gains clawed back. New research from Rystad Energy shows the breadth of climate manufacturing in states controlled by a Republican majority. And indicates that the tailwinds for economic growth from renewable manufacturing should continue no matter which candidate wins in November. The data underscores that supporting new industrial growth can be a non-partisan issue beneficial to local economies across the political spectrum. Energy Transition Finance LLC helps businesses find the federal and state funding they need to bring new energy security and clean industrial solutions to market. Fill out our free assessment tool to see what financing options are available for your business: https://hubs.la/Q02N9WdD0 #renewables #climatefinance #greenindustry

The U.S. government continues to dig into geothermal energy production with a new lease sale from the Bureau of Land Management and $31 million in financing for enabling technologies from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The new lease sale covers 219,000 acres in Nevada and is slated for October 8, 2024 (more information here: https://hubs.la/Q02N54kS0), Meanwhile, the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), U.S. Department of Energy has funneled $31 million into projects from companies like SLB, Innovative Downhole Solutions and Project Development Solutions to advance enhanced geothermal drilling technologies and resource identification and development. This is all happening as estimates for geothermal energy production continue to rise. Currently, the U.S. generates about 5 gigawatts of energy from geothermal resources, but the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that roughly 90 gigawatts of geothermal energy could be tapped in the U.S. by 2050. Data center developers like Google and Meta, which have huge energy needs, are working with companies, including Fervo Energy and Sage Geosystems Inc., to develop new zero-emission energy resources for their computing needs. #geothermal #datacenters #decarbonization #greenindustry #renewables

The Tennessee Valley Authority is authorizing another $150 million for the development of small modular reactor technology (https://hubs.la/Q02MVPPv0) The new funding is the latest signal that new nuclear technology is on the agenda for utilities around the U.S. and should be a boon for American companies including Kairos Power, Aalo Atomics, Oklo Inc, Ultra Safe Nuclear and others. Download our free white paper on the state of the nuclear industry to learn more about the technologies that could revolutionize clean power and move the nation further down the path to decarbonization: https://hubs.la/Q02MVQ590 #decarbonization #nuclear #SMR #climatefinance #climateaction