solar
Samara is accelerating the energy transition in Spain one solar panel at a time
Since the shock of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, solar energy has been having a moment in Europe. Electricity prices have been going up while the investment required to get…
Productive solar technologies draw investors as global off-grid solar sector funding slumps
Productive Use of Renewable Energy (PURE) technologies, especially those in the solar irrigation and cold chain segment, saw increased investor interest last year, despite a 43% funding slump recorded in…
Texture makes a bid to become the world’s go-to platform of the energy transition
The startup, founded by an Arcadia alumnus, seeks to become a common data collection and sharing platform for renewable power sources like wind, solar, and batteries.
Two former CloudKitchens execs are tackling Mexico’s solar power lag
The Mexico City-based startup raised a seed round to expand its solar installation platform.
AALTO seeks to democratize high-speed internet access through solar-powered drones
In the beginning of 2021, Alphabet shuttered Loon. It was a familiar story within the annals of Google X history: an ambitious moonshot with tremendous upside that sputtered out prior…
It was a bad year for Tesla solar — its worst since 2020.
Urbanista integrates Powerfoyle tech with solar-powered headphones
The subject of solar-powered tech rouses a bit of deserved skepticism among consumers. At the end of the day, I suspect most folks would love more sustainable gadgets they never…
Tesla’s solar business is tanking but energy storage is making up for it
By the megawatt, solar installations are outpacing other energy sources in the U.S. this year — but you wouldn’t know it judging from Tesla’s latest reports. Once among the top…
Welcome back to Found, where we get the stories behind the startups. This week Becca and Dom are joined by Giovanni Fili, the founder and…
Okra raises $12M as it brings solar power to grids in developing areas
It’s been fun watching Okra Solar’s journey over the last few years. I first encountered the firm on a trip to Shenzhen, before it won our 2019 Hardware Battlefield competition…
Swap Robotics entered our orbit last year, when the firm was a finalist for our Battlefield competition at Disrupt 2022. In a world full of robot mowers, the startup grabbed…
BoxPower wants to cut emissions, wildfire risk by taking power off the main grid
After sparking California’s second-largest wildfire ever, and dozens more in recent years, it’s no secret that Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) — one of the nation’s largest utilities — is…
SunFi aims to be the fastest way for Nigerians to find, finance and manage solar
SunFi, the Nigerian clean tech startup that connects people and businesses who want solar energy access to payment plans that match their needs, has raised $2.325 million in seed funding.…
Tesla Powerwall customers in Texas can now sell their electricity back to the grid
Elon Musk’s plan to “operate as a giant distributed utility” is creeping toward reality. Tesla first piloted a “virtual power plant” in California, inviting Powerwall home battery owners to sell…
Hyundai launches home charging ecosystem as part of EV push
Hyundai announced this week at the LA Auto Show a new way for its customers to charge at home as part of the company’s efforts to woo a new group…
Seven scaleups hog over 70% of funding to Africa’s solar pay-go ventures
Over the last 10 years startups in Africa’s off-grid solar sector have attracted over $2.3 billion in funding. However, the largest share of the financing has gone to just seven…
Solestial promises solar panels in space for a tenth of the cost and lines up $10M seed
The coming wave of satellite constellations all need power, but solar panels built for space are extremely expensive and difficult to manufacture. Solestial is ready to change that with space-grade…
Enact Systems connects solar installers and customers for more efficient energy use
There are about three million solar installations in the United States per year, but that process is costly and often lacks transparency. Pleasanton, California–based Enact Systems wants to increase collaboration…
Want a Tesla Solar Roof? You may need to shell out for a Powerwall first
At Tesla, the company’s stock price apparently isn’t the only thing that’s climbing lately. Powerwall sales are also poised to rise, now that the automaker’s big batteries are reportedly a…
Ford said Wednesday it has reached a deal with DTE Energy to power its electricity supply in Michigan with clean energy, a step toward its goal to become carbon neutral…
Online-only home solar seller bags $23M, pledging ‘dramatically lower prices’
Project Solar doesn’t make solar panels, nor does it employ crews to plop them on roofs, but the startup argues it can shake up the residential solar business by steering…
Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy backs Terabase’s robot-built solar farms
Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a climate-focused VC firm linked to some of Earth’s wealthiest individuals, has joined a $44 million bet on solar startup Terabase Energy. Terabase aims to rapidly build…
Google pauses hiring, Netflix loses nearly 1M customers, and Slack increases prices
Hey, friends! It’s that time again. Another week has passed us by, which means another issue of Week in Review — the newsletter where we recap the top stories to…
Tesla solar sees best quarter in 4 years, but ‘semiconductor challenges’ spell trouble
Tesla’s mythical solar roofs may be on ice right now, but its conventional solar business is a whole ‘nother story. This afternoon, the automaker said the division notched its “strongest”…
Feds must step in or renewable energy will have nowhere to go, says MIT report
Building wind and solar farms is an important part of building a new green grid, but a calm night stops their energy generation cold. It’s just as important to research…
Over the weekend, Tesla showed off its latest gadget: a solar trailer, featuring extendable panels, a satellite internet terminal and even a lick of matte-black paint. Tesla may have designed…
US Energy Sec. Granholm still ‘bullish’ Congress can ink ‘significant’ climate deal
U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said she is still “hopeful, positive and in fact bullish” that Congress can agree on “a significant push into clean energy.”
Okra Solar walked away with the trophy and a giant check at our 2019 Shenzhen Hardware Battlefield event. It’s a moment happily eternalized in a new press release announcing the…
Clean energy firm Husk signs UN energy compact as it begins solar mini-grid expansion in Nigeria, rest of Africa
Husk Power Systems, a clean energy company that has been at the forefront of fueling rural electrification since 2008, is planning to launch 500 solar mini-grids in Nigeria over the…
Shell-founded startup fund receives $13 million from Canadian DFI to accelerate clean energy access in Africa
FinDev Canada has injected $13 million into Energy Entrepreneurs Growth Fund (EEGF), which invests in early and growth-stage energy startups in sub-Saharan Africa. Part of the funding will go toward…