The Cleantech Council

Clean Energy Buyers Association’s report breaks down renewable energy generation with 2024 a record year for corporates purchasing 21.7 gigawatts of clean electricity in 2024. https://loom.ly/jcSfCcY

Meet the CVCs backing Climate Techs Corporate venture capital (CVC) is becoming a strategic lifeline for climate startups and a smart play for big businesses. For startups, it’s more than just funding — it’s a gateway to corporate-scale resources, distribution channels, new contacts and industry expertise. And for corporates, it’s a chance to stay ahead of the curve by tapping into up-and-coming climate innovation. A three-way win for corporates, startups and the environment? We tracked?66 CVC investors around the world, including: ?????Filip Arnaut, Sparkalis ????Alexandre B.,?Givaudan ?????Michela Petronio,?Barilla Group ?????Ricardo Zapatero Saenz, Repsol ?????Ana Ward, YANMAR VENTURES ?????Johanna Rahm Juhlin, LRF Ventures ?????E. Krystal Somaza, Aramco Ventures ?????Frederico Bilelo Gon?alves, EDP Ventures? ?????Mads M?ller, ABB Electrification Ventures ?????Satoshi Furuta, ENEOS Innovation Partners? ?????Christina Schwab, dsm-firmenich Ventures ?????Phoebe Wang, Amazon Climate Pledge Fund? ?????Andreas Tufteland Engelsen, Eviny Ventures ?????Rodrigo Hortega de Velasco, D?hler Ventures? ?????Constantino Matouk Iriondo, Grupo Bimbo Ventures? ?????Hadar Sutovsky, ICL Group?and ICL PLANET Startup Hub ?????Aurélie Schwartzmann,?ALIAD (Air Liquide Venture Capital) ?????Kittipop Trisinsomboon, BANPU Public Company Limited

Wright's Law, or the Experience Curve, strikes again. The more we build something, the better we get at doing it, and the better the product becomes. Such is the case now with Renewable Energy (RE), and Energy Storage Systems (BESS). Per a report from IRENA, Energy storage costs have dropped 83% between 2010 and 2023. Now, I'm no genius, but when I see the cost curves of RE and BESS as steep lines down and right, I can see how the "climate protection" argument for RE is starting to be redundant, as we can finally rely on good old Wall Street logic: greed is good. While we maybe can debate, today in 2025, whether the all-in levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) is cheaper with RE than fossil fuels, the steadily dropping prices means it's undeniable that RE will be cheaper than most resource extraction as we move past 2030. There's a reason oil-producing nations (ex: Saudi Aramco) and others are diversifying, and it's the inevitable price disadvantage of fossil fuels. IRENA's report late last year confirms this trend. Renewable energy is not just a climate solution; it's just good business. Key findings include: Record-Breaking Growth: 2023 saw unprecedented growth in renewable capacity, driving down costs across the board. Cost Competitiveness: Solar and wind are cheaper than fossil fuel alternatives, even without subsidies. Declining LCOE: The global weighted-average LCOE of newly commissioned utility-scale solar PV decreased by 14% in 2023, and onshore wind by 8%. Hydropower’s Continued Cost Advantage: Hydropower also showed a decrease in cost, with a 7% drop in LCOE. I can't wait for the 2024 numbers to come in! This data reinforces what the market is already signaling: renewables are not just "good for the planet," they are an economic imperative. The writing is on the wall, and the smart money is moving towards a renewable-powered future. https://lnkd.in/gszJXjBQ. The Cleantech Council #RenewableEnergy #EnergyTransition #IRENA #Economics #WrightsLaw #Sustainability

German startup, theion, secures Series A round to upcycle sulfur into a battery that decreases cost and carbon footprint by a thires, and increases energy density x3 compared to conventional lithium-ion alternatives. https://loom.ly/sXZP25E

COMING UP on May 13: Innovation Review on Hydrogen, hosted by LG NOVA in Silicon Valley. Register now to join environmentally conscious corporates, investors, tech scouts, and startups as we highlight the opportunities and challenges in this segment and bring several undiscovered companies to the stage. Details and Registration https://loom.ly/8BIo8B0 Startups innovating in this space can add a pitch or demo table when they register #cleantech #innovation #partnerships #hydrogen

We are overworking our aging electric grids. New intermittent energy sources and demands are stressing the grid as mercilessly Scottie pushed the engines of the Enterprise. You can almost hear him saying "I'm giving her all I got, Captain. I don't think she can take any more." But there's a huge difference between our grids today and the fictional starship Enterprise: Scottie never had the luxury of time. We do. ?? We have years to get busy on upgrades. We're not stuck with the 20th century's grid, or 2025's. By 2035, we're going to have a vastly improved system. Grid operators, inventors, startups, and the entire energy ecosystem have years to adapt, and adopt new solutions that mitigate the disasters. In fact, "the grid can't handle it!!" is just another "Y2K disaster" where it WILL happen if we do nothing, but we won't do nothing...so nothing will happen. In my latest piece, I delve into the key advancements that will transform our energy infrastructure: -Demand-Side Management: Smart charging, V2X, and more. -Transmission and Distribution Upgrades: Hardening and expanding our infrastructure. -Smart Grid Technologies: Leveraging data and AI for efficiency. -Distributed Storage: Local energy solutions for resilience. -And more The future grid will be dynamic, intelligent, and resilient. It's not about if we can adapt, it's about not whining, and getting on with the job instead. It DOES remain true that if we do nothing, we're in trouble. Read the full article (link in the picture below) to explore the innovations shaping our energy future: #ElectricGrid #RenewableEnergy #SmartGrid #Innovation #EnergyTransition #Cleantech The Cleantech Council Jeff Frick Nick Macilveen

We are overworking our aging electric grids. New intermittent energy sources and demands are stressing the grid as mercilessly Scottie pushed the engines of the Enterprise. You can almost hear him saying "I'm giving her all I got, Captain. I don't think she can take any more." But there's a huge difference between our grids today and the fictional starship Enterprise: Scottie never had the luxury of time. We do. ?? We have years to get busy on upgrades. We're not stuck with the 20th century's grid, or 2025's. By 2035, we're going to have a vastly improved system. Grid operators, inventors, startups, and the entire energy ecosystem have years to adapt, and adopt new solutions that mitigate the disasters. In fact, "the grid can't handle it!!" is just another "Y2K disaster" where it WILL happen if we do nothing, but we won't do nothing...so nothing will happen. In my latest piece, I delve into the key advancements that will transform our energy infrastructure: -Demand-Side Management: Smart charging, V2X, and more. -Transmission and Distribution Upgrades: Hardening and expanding our infrastructure. -Smart Grid Technologies: Leveraging data and AI for efficiency. -Distributed Storage: Local energy solutions for resilience. -And more The future grid will be dynamic, intelligent, and resilient. It's not about if we can adapt, it's about not whining, and getting on with the job instead. It DOES remain true that if we do nothing, we're in trouble. Read the full article (link in the picture below) to explore the innovations shaping our energy future: #ElectricGrid #RenewableEnergy #SmartGrid #Innovation #EnergyTransition #Cleantech The Cleantech Council Jeff Frick Nick Macilveen

Ampion Renewable Energy expands delivery of low cost solar directly to households that need it most in Erie County, New York, continuing their commitment to providing community solar. https://loom.ly/yrgj26Q

EVs TO GET KICKED OUT OF CA HOV LANES? It's looking like the anti-EV policies of the federal government may soon kick EVs with HOV stickers out of the carpool lanes in California. And despite my general enthusiasm for EVs, I'm not actually against this. As a longtime HOV sticker holder in California, and an early EV adopter, in 2013, I could drive in the HOV lane as a single occupant in my car. This advantage was an incentive to car owners to purchase low-emission vehicles, and it worked: it had some small effect on making clean air cars more attractive. The thing is, today, EVs no longer need that small incentive. In the dense traffic regions of California, EVs almost dominate the roads. The more people tend to have long commutes in bad traffic, the better an EV compares to an ICE car (gas savings, regenerative braking, stop+go adaptive cruise). Does the Bay Area need EV lane incentives? (see this video at a Silicon Valley hockey rink in 2023: https://lnkd.in/gGdr2Zen) And EV ownership is on the rise since that video was shot: CA issued 194,486 Clean Air Vehicle stickers in 2024, up 52% from 2023. The program that allows CAV stickers expires Sept 30, and an extension of the program would require sign-off from a federal administration that is actively hostile to clean air programs. With the growth of EV sales, I've noticed that over the past 5 years, the presumed advantages of the HOV lane have disappeared. Because EVs get 3 years of sticker-access to the lanes, and EVs are so common, the HOV lanes are completely full, and are often NOT FASTER than the other lanes. This, of course, erases the benefit, and worse: it removes the incentive to actually carpool. The value of HOV lanes is notably ambiguous in research. (https://lnkd.in/gXmU9ibf) On many drives, I'll be in the HOV lane, packed with hundreds of other clean air vehicles, WATCHING the normal lanes move faster. We EV drivers tend to move there because we have the "exclusive right" to do so...even though it often moves slower. (One reason I use HOV is it feels safer, and I just let the autopilot follow the car ahead. My arrival time is a couple of minutes later, but low stress.) So, although it will force me out of the HOV lane, I'm OK with EVs losing HOV access, because I'd like to see the incentives for actual carpooling return. This will make the HOV lane actually faster once again. I'll try to drive less, or carpool with higher occupancy. The Cleantech Council Autotech Council

Energy storage startup Torus secures approval from Utah power provider, advancing their aim to provide grid resilience and clean energy integration across the region. https://lnkd.in/ebTt2wgc