This week on The Energy Gang: climate tech VC isn’t just having a moment, it’s entering a new age. During the height of the pandemic in 2020, venture capital poured into climate technologies at record levels. It was a happy surprise amidst a collapsing economy and years of investment stagnation. Venture investments in climate tech […]
Form Energy Raises Another $70M for Long-Duration Storage
Investors want a piece of Form Energy’s stealthy long-duration storage tech, even before its first commercial deployments. Form Energy raised a $70 million Series C to scale its super-long-duration energy storage technology. That investment was first reported by Reuters Friday, without naming the participating investors. It brings Form Energy’s total funds raised to around $120 […]
Autogrid ramps up involvement in Japan’s VPP space
US software and data company Autogrid has continued its roll-out of solutions into Japan’s evolving electricity market, joining a virtual power plant (VPP) project that could add more than 10,000 assets by the end of 2021. Autogrid has been one of the prominent early movers in aggregating distributed energy resources (DERs) including solar, battery energy […]
Schneider Buys Stake in AutoGrid to Tap Its Software for Distributed Energy and Microgrids
Investment in the Silicon Valley startup could boost French electric tech giant’s distributed energy integration capabilities, from design to operations. Schneider Electric has invested in Silicon Valley startup AutoGrid, with plans to put its data analytics and machine learning to use in managing distributed energy resources and microgrids for industrial and commercial customers. Wednesday’s investment […]
Invenergy Future Fund Closes $150M Fund, Changes Name to Energize Ventures
Invenergy Future Fund Closes $150M Fund, Changes Name to Energize Ventures GE, Schneider Electric and WEC Energy are among the LPs in an expanded venture fund that’s put $30 million into five startups so far and has $120 million more to go. Invenergy Future Fund has invested about $30 million in five very different startups […]
Sonnen Raises $71M and Kicks Off a Strategic Partnership With Shell
A big round to grow solar-storage market share in the U.S. and Australia and the latest partnership between a grid edge startup and a European energy giant. Sonnen, the German startup taking on Tesla and others in the nascent behind-the-meter energy storage market, has raised €60 million ($71 million) to grow in the U.S. and […]