Heatmap News

"Two months after the blaze was extinguished, many people who live in the vicinity of Moss Landing, a couple hours south of San Francisco, say they’re still sick from the fire," writes Jael Holzman in her latest for Heatmap, an in-depth investigation on the impacts of the Moss Landing battery fire on residents. "Community organizers on the ground say the number of sick people is in the hundreds, at least. The symptoms range, but there are a few commonalities. Many report having bloody noses in the days immediately following the fire. In the long weeks that followed, they’ve had headaches that don’t respond to pain medications, rashes that resemble burns, and a recurring metallic taste in their mouths. They all say their symptoms go away if they leave their homes and go further away from the site. But the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California state regulators have given the all clear." Read the full story below, which delves into what the disaster means for the future of battery storage in the state and beyond. Featuring insights from Tracey Woodruff of University of California, San Francisco and other experts. #batterystorage #mosslanding #batteryfire #batterysafety https://lnkd.in/eiY3tjMD

Insightful, contrarian Heatmap News interview with Frank Maisano from Bracewell LLP, one of the most experienced energy lobbyists in Washington. Thanks to Jael Holzman for more superb reporting. https://lnkd.in/eeY9dfv6

In exciting news,?XGS Energy?has raised an additional?$13 million in new funding to accelerate the deployment of their advanced geothermal technology. The over-subscribed round included new investors?Aligned Climate Capital ,?ClearSky,?Climate Innovation Capital, and?WovenEarth Ventures, in addition to inside investors. This financing builds on a round led by?Constellation Technology Ventures,?VoLo Earth Ventures, and?Valo Ventures?in 2024. Thank you, Katie Fehrenbacher at Axios and Alexander C. Kaufman at Heatmap News, for covering this milestone! #Geothermal #fundingannouncement #cleanenergy https://lnkd.in/eawzS7Qv

Last week, I had the chance to talk to Jeva Lange at Heatmap News, who thoughtfully covered the impacts of cuts to NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's workforce, capturing the nuance of why we need continual improvements to our fishery management systems—not disruptions to the agency's scientific and management functions: "Despite his frustrations with the bureaucracy of NOAA, the South Carolina shrimper, Jones, said that fishing communities would be the first to acknowledge the importance of good data, science, common-sense regulations, and stock management. 'We’re all environmentalists at the end of the day,' he said, pointing out that fishermen wouldn’t have jobs if pollution or overfishing endangered the shrimp population." Our fisheries and fishing communities rely on NOAA Fisheries for data collection, stock assessments, resource protection, and more. We should be investing in NOAA's ability to deliver these services faster and better, not taking an axe to them. https://lnkd.in/g_FUnB2R (full text article available with free account)

Geothermal energy is gaining major traction and XGS Energy is at the forefront! ? Heatmap News?recently highlighted how XGS Energy's unique approach to geothermal energy is catching the eye of investors and the nuclear power sector: ? ? Scalable projects: XGS’s system can scale to meet any amount of electricity demand, with projects that can be deployed piece-by-piece instead of requiring a large upfront investment in a megaproject. ? Location flexibility: XGS’s water and geology independence unlocks the full potential of geothermal anywhere there is hot rock. ? Speed-to-market: As electricity demand continues to rise, XGS’s system offers clean, firm power that can be deployed in the near-term to meet the energy demands of the artificial intelligence boom. Dive into the full article from Alexander C. Kaufman in Heatmap:?https://lnkd.in/gdtpdUqC ? #GeothermalEnergy #BaseloadEnergy #CleanEnergy #EnergyInvestments

"The new $13 million round of financing — reported exclusively by Heatmap — will help the Houston-based next-generation geothermal company to complete work on its first pilot project on land owned by the U.S. military in California." Read Alexander C. Kaufman's scoop on "the nuclear power industry’s geothermal darling," XGS Energy. Here's a sneak peek at the insights featured in the article: ? “What’s so cool about XGS is that they’re building megaprojects that can be deployed piece by piece. The design of their system is a little more elegant and foolproof than some other approaches we’ve seen in the industry.” — Charles Gertler ? “Geothermal has never been able to expand to new geographies, so it’s really exciting that next-generation geothermal has the ability to go outside of the existing hotspots.” —?Peter Davidson of Aligned Climate Capital ? “I’m not a technology guy, I’m a guy who likes to build projects, and we want to build, own and operate.” —?XGS Energy CEO Josh Prueher Check out the full story below. #geothermal #fundinground #nuclearpower https://lnkd.in/gdtpdUqC

Very much enjoying the sessions at Heatmap News energy & policy event in DC, particularly Senator Whitehouse (RI) speaking on why protecting the IRA is a *legislative* priority, NOT a **narrative** priority. The narrative priority, from his view (which I share) is more along the lines of (in his words): “If you ask the public whether we should charge a fee to big corporate polluters for the cost of their pollution, it's ~12% opposed, 70%+ in favor. You don't often get 60 plus % margins on issues; the public is very much with us. We have to make that case effectively again… And now there’s the chance, because [people are realizing it’s their] … property insurance, homeowner's insurance, the value of [their] main asset, [their] home.” More thoughts to come—great session Jael Holzman !

How is the current administration slowing cities’ plans to advance infrastructure improvements? Climate Mayors Deputy Director Laura Jay spoke with Heatmap News about the uncertainties cities and a range of infrastructure and clean energy programs are facing amidst the federal funding freeze. Even as cities navigate the freeze, she shared how cities will continue their work in order to deliver results for their constituents, “Cities are incredibly nimble and innovative… they’re fully committed to making sure that this work is continuing.” Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gXfKn42m

I have an interesting little scoop out in Heatmap News this morning. The geothermal energy startup XGS Energy just pulled in another $13 million in funding -- and added a nuclear industry veteran to its board. That's on top of the fact that the nation's largest nuclear operator, Constellation, was already a major investor. XGS is pretty interesting. Unlike other next-generation geothermal companies, it doesn't use fracking drilling, and doesn't lose any water in its operations. The Houston-based firm is developing its first project on land owned by the military in California. https://lnkd.in/e5qezvwN

On this week’s episode of SHIFT KEY Robinson Meyer and I talk with data center energy expert Peter Freed about whether AI and new data centers are going to blow up the grid and break decarbonization. Listen Heatmap News https://lnkd.in/egEmn-f9 or wherever you get your podcasts! ????