Former Tesla exec Drew Baglino's new startup is rethinking the electrical transformer

Former Tesla executive Drew Baglino has a new startup developing solid-state transformers for the electric grid, Axios reported. The new company, Heron Power, is raising between $30 million to $50 million for a Series A, according to the report, with Capricorn Investment Group pegged to lead the r

Who are climate-conscious consumers? Not who you'd expect, says Northwind Climate

Sometimes, surprises are lurking in everyday data. Take a category of consumers that Doug Rubin's startup, Northwind Climate, calls “climate doers.” They're concerned about climate change and tend to prioritize climate-friendly purchases, the sort of identifiers who might be stereotypi

Data centers love solar: Here’s a comprehensive guide to deals over 100 megawatts

The rush to capitalize on the buzz around AI has led tech companies to dramatically expand their data center footprints. That's been good news for companies like Nvidia, but it has also led to unprecedented growth in the power industry. New and expanded data centers are expected to double the

Bill Gates-backed Commonwealth Fusion Systems hits key reactor construction milestone

Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) marked a major milestone Tuesday morning, announcing the installation of a key component of its SPARC demonstration reactor. The new part is a 24-foot wide, 75-ton stainless steel circle that forms the foundation of the tokamak, the doughnut-shaped heart of a fusi

Trump admin directs DOE officials to shield DOGE documents from disclosure

The Department of Energy (DOE) has told employees that documents used by DOGE to assess the agency’s grants and contracts should be marked with “legal privilege” to prevent them from being disclosed under Freedom of Information Act requests.  DOGE has supplied the agency with spreadshee

Nvidia thinks AI can solve electrical grid problems caused by AI

Nvidia announced Thursday it's partnering with EPRI, a power industry R&D organization, to use AI to solve problems facing the electrical grid. Perhaps ironically, the issues are largely caused by rising power demand from AI itself. The Open Power AI Consortium, which includes a numbe

Judge orders Citibank to release nonprofit funds, rejects EPA’s arguments

A federal judge Tuesday found the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) acted in an “arbitrary and capricious” manner when terminating contracts with three nonprofits. The judge issued a temporary restraining order that requires the EPA and Citibank to give nonprofits access to funds in their a

Al Gore's Just Climate fund raises $175M from Microsoft and CalSTRS for nature-based climate investments

When it comes to climate-related investments, the lion's share has gone to companies working in energy and transportation. Most investors overlook actual lions — that is, nature-based solutions like biodiversity tend to get short shrift in the investment world. Just $35 billion was invested i

Palmetto wants software developers to electrify America using its AI building models

For someone who wants solar panels, the question is often: “How many?” And for a heat pump, it's “how big?” Answering those questions typically requires a contractor to set foot on your property.  Yet over the last decade, solar installers have trimmed that time-consuming process

Arizona proposes law that would shift wildfire liability from utilities to insurers

Arizona lawmakers are debating a bill that would protect utilities from wildfire-related lawsuits, a move that would likely send shockwaves through the insurance industry.  The bill would make it harder to prove that utilities are to blame for wildfires started by faulty or poorly maintained

FBI, EPA, and Treasury told Citibank to freeze funds as Trump administration tries to claw back climate money

Citibank revealed in court filings on Wednesday that the FBI, the EPA, the EPA inspector general, and the Treasury Department have all requested that the bank freeze accounts of several nonprofits and state government agencies. The accounts were frozen in February, but the new documents make publi

Geothermal unicorn Fervo Energy may IPO as early as next year

Geothermal startup Fervo Energy is reportedly eyeing an initial public offering in the next two years. Driving the consideration is the growing concern over power demand growth from data centers, which could double by 2029. “There's clearly a huge hunger in the public markets right now to fi

Equator closes $55M fund to bring more private capital to African climate tech

African venture capital firm Equator has raised $55 million for its first fund, which will back climate tech startups through one of the most difficult and often overlooked phases in their journey: the early stage. Climate tech startups in African countries have to navigate a tougher funding lands

Solar installer Sunnova races to raise cash as it issues 'going concern' warning

Solar installer Sunnova issued a “going concern” warning as the company runs short on cash. The stock is currently down around 68% as investors gauge the risk that Sunnova is headed for bankruptcy, a frequent outcome for companies that issue such warnings. In a bid to stave off insolvency, Sun