Houston hosted the inaugural Energy + Climate Startup Week in September, which brought together leading energy and climate venture capital investors, industry leaders and startups from around the world to showcase the most innovative companies and technologies that are transforming the energy industry while driving a sustainable, low-carbon energy future.

Repsol was one of the inaugural sponsors for the weeks kick off event that hosted several leading startups. This year marked 25 years of energy innovation for Repsol in the United States.  As the energy landscape evolves, Repsol has committed to significant growth in renewable capacity, with an impressive 720 MW of solar and storage capacity already operational and 1.5 GW under construction.

Caton Fenz, CEO for Repsol’s Renewables North America shares more about Repsol’s approach to expanding its renewable footprint, integrating green energy into its core business and leveraging Houston’s unique role as a leader in the energy transition. Here’s an inside look at Repsol’s milestones and future goals in the journey toward decarbonization and a sustainable energy future.

Can you tell us more about Repsol’s strategy for expanding its renewables business?

This year Repsol is celebrating 25 years of energy development in the United States. Across the US, we have a team of more than 800 employees, with more than 130 employees working in the renewables business specifically. 

Repsol’s growth ambition in the US renewable energy market is significant. Since launching our renewables activity in the US three years ago, we have installed more than 720 MW of solar generation and energy storage capacity. Today we have more than 1.5 GW of additional solar and energy storage capacity under construction, and more than 20 GW of solar, wind and energy storage in development across 13 states.

 How does Repsol plan to integrate renewable energy sources into its broader business model?

Repsol Renewables operates in accordance with Repsol’s values and strategies. Renewable energy generation is one of the pillars of Repsol’s decarbonization strategy. Repsol will invest between €3 and 4 billion to organically develop its global project portfolio and aims to reach between 9,000 MW and 10,000 MW of installed capacity by 2027. Of this, 30% will be in the United States.

With these objectives in mind, we have been able to accelerate the development of wind, solar, and energy storage across the US market and the globe. By expanding our renewable energy business, we can further meet record demand growth for renewable energy.  

What are the key projects or milestones that have been achieved within Repsol’s renewables portfolio so far?

Earlier this year, we announced the commercial operation of Frye Solar, our largest solar project worldwide. This project, located in Swisher County, Texas, has a total capacity of 637 MW.  And as noted above, we have an additional 1.4 GW of projects under construction currently.  These major energy infrastructure projects are indicative of the scale of our operations in the US.

Why does Repsol believe being located in Houston is critical for its business, particularly in the energy transition?

Repsol is proudly committed to Houston’s role in developing and delivering energy and value for the world. Houston is known as the Energy Capital of the World and over the next 10 years, we’ll see it be known as the Energy Transition Capital of the World. With Repsol’s Renewables North America business located in downtown Houston, we have access to talent and partnerships in a booming city filled with energy experts. 

Why does Repsol see value in participating in Houston Energy + Climate Startup Week?

At Houston Energy + Climate Startup Week, Repsol Renewables is honored to support and learn from leaders and investors in the energy and climate industry. We believe it is important to continuously invest in talent, ideas, and collaboration across the energy value chain as we pursue our net zero by 2050 goal.

Houston has become the hub for startups and companies looking to scale innovative technologies that are transforming the energy industry and advancing a sustainable, low-carbon future. This month, the inaugural Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week 2024 successfully highlighted this mission.

Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, Halliburton Labs, Greentown Labs, Digital Wildcatters launched the inaugural startup week in collaboration with the Partnership’s Houston Energy Transition Initiative. The week brought together leading energy and climate venture capital investors, industry leaders, and startups from around the world.

Over 30 events took place from September 9-13, featuring more than 100 speakers and 125 startups. Attendance numbers came in at over 1,400 people across the week’s anchor events, and additional events were individually organized by organizations and startups in Houston’s ecosystem.

“By hosting the Houston Energy & Climate Startup Week, we’re not just showcasing our city’s strengths – we’re actively shaping its future. This event is a critical catalyst for fostering collaboration, investment and talent development within the burgeoning energy and climate tech ecosystem. This week is about demonstrating our commitment to that future and inspiring the next generation of energy innovators,” said Janice Tran, Kanin Energy CEO & Co-Founder

The Kickoff event, sponsored by Repsol, Microsoft and BBVA, hosted fireside chats by several of Houston’s leading startups, including Solugen, Cemvita, Kanin Energy and Syzygy.

“Houston is at the forefront of not just energy innovation, but industrial innovation more broadly. With the momentum that’s built over the last few years, it’s the perfect time to showcase our progress and drive further advancements in climate solutions.” – Gaurab Chakrabarti, Solugen CEO and Co-Founder

Houston is home to more than 65 incubators and accelerators and over 260 cleantech and climate tech startups. The region continues to build momentum and is focused on attracting investment for this growing sector, seeing a 577 percent growth since 2019. According to Partnership data, there has been over $1.95 Billion and 175 deals with cleantech and climate tech startups.

“Houston is uniquely positioned to tackle the greatest challenge of our time – producing more energy with fewer emissions. This city is where energy innovation scales and opportunity thrives. As a natural hub for startups and investors, Houston brought this to life during Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week. Years in the making, this event was launched to answer the question: Can the whole be greater than the sum of its parts? This past week proved it can. We look forward to continue building on this successful week.” said  Jane Stricker,  Senior Vice President, Greater Houston Partnership and Executive Director, Houston Energy Transition Initiative.

Learn more about Houston Energy + Climate Startup Week.

Houston Energy & Climate Startup Week is happening this week, September 9-13! With over 80 speakers featured across 25+ events around Houston, we’re looking forward to seeing you during this celebratory week!

All events during Houston Energy & Climate Startup Week are individually organized. Help the event hosts by finishing your schedule for the week and registering for each event you plan to attend. You can check them out on the schedule (some may already be at capacity). 

If there’s an event you’re interested in that requires approval from the event organizer, please check with the event host to confirm any last-minute registration. They can help answer any logistics details. 

If you’re attending an event, make sure to tag us on

Instagram and LinkedIn.

See the full schedule and RSVP → https://houstonenergyclimatestartupweek.com/calendar/ 

Thank you to all of the event organizers and partners who are hosting an event during Houston Energy & Climate Week! Without you, it wouldn’t be possible!

Need a place to eat? Since many events are hosted in Ion District, make sure to check out the robust selection of food and drink options. Parking is available in the Red Lot (complimentary from 7am-10pm for Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week), and in the Ion District garage (complimentary for the first 2 hours). 

We’re looking forward to an energizing week ahead. See you soon!

Halliburton Labs announced the Finalists Pitch Day panelists. 

The Houston Energy + Climate Startup Week is looking forward to their experience and insights across technologies and energy systems to inform Q&A following each finalist presenter’s pitch.

Anchor event for inaugural Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week that includes events at the Ion powered by Rice University

(Franklin, 2024) – The Energy Tech Venture Forum (ETVF), hosted by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, will convene innovators and investors at a Sept. 12 conference to connect ventures with Houston’s energy ecosystem. The forum is an anchor event for the inaugural Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week, happening Sept. 9-13. This week is a citywide initiative to bring together and celebrate the momentum in Houston driving the energy transition. Many events are hosted at the Ion, Houston’s innovation hub powered by Rice University.

A total of 90 companies, including the latest cohort from the Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator, will meet with and pitch to hundreds of corporate venture capitalists (VCs) and investors – Rice Alliance facilitates more than 700 meetings between investors and startups every year at this event. The participating companies have collected raised more than $1.09B in funding and are from 7 countries. David Baldwin, partner at Houston-based SCF Partners and co-founder of OpenMinds, and Rachel Slaybaugh, partner at DCVC, a multi-billion dollar VC firm based in the Bay area, will give the opening and closing keynotes, respectively.

The Ion and the Houston Energy Transition Initiative will also host a Sept. 9 kickoff and block party for Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week. The inaugural Activate Houston Fellows, which includes several Rice-affiliated startups, will host a welcome for the 11 inaugural fellows Sept. 10 at the Ion. Rice President Reginald DesRoches will host a fireside chat with author Walter Isaacson at the Halliburton Labs’ Pitch Day Sept. 13 at the Ion. Numerous other events organized by Houston organizations will be hosted at the Ion throughout the week.

Class 4 of Rice Alliance’s Clean Energy Accelerator will culminate in Demo Day Pitches featured during ETVF which includes 12 ventures that are driving innovation in advanced materials, carbon management, carbon accounting, digital technologies, hydrogen, solar, energy efficiency, energy storage and corrosion detection. The accelerator supports the success of emerging, tech-enabled ventures that are advancing decarbonization solutions and efficiency strategies to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy.

Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week is a community-led effort to showcase Houston’s leadership in the energy transition and is bringing together startups, investors and corporations from around the world.   It is organized by a group of regional organizations, academic institutions and corporations in the Houston ecosystem, including Rice Alliance, Halliburton Labs, Greentown Labs, Activate, Digital Wildcatters and the Houston Energy Transition Initiative. Individual investors, startups and organizations are independently hosting events around the city during the week.

Halliburton Labs announced the Finalists companies for Pitch Day.

This is a dynamic lineup of innovative energy and climate ventures, and the Houston Energy + Climate Startup Week looks forward to learning more about how their solutions may shape the future of energy.

The team includes: Luly Castillo, Dianna Pourciau Singh, Greg Hundt, Zainub Noor, Susanna Sabbagh, Dale Winger, Scott Gale

The finalists include:
360 Mining, Inc.
Cella
DiviGas
espiku
HELIOVIS AG
Inlyte Energy
Mitico
NuCube Energy
Qdot Technology