> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://content.konfab.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Talking Climate Tech 005 redux - URL: https://content.konfab.io/talking-climate-tech-005-redux/ - Published: 2024-12-27T15:24:25.000Z - Updated: 2025-03-14T16:08:30.000Z - Description: Christmas Startup Gifts, Grids, Climate Adventure, Lawyers and Christmas Pylon! - Author: Kane Watkinson - Tags: Newsletter, Smart Grid, Battery, Built Environment, Grid, Greenwash, Konfab News *Issued to subscribers 20th December 2024.* The last Friday before the big day, let's crack on! ๐ŸŽ„โ„๏ธ ๐Ÿ’ธ Startup News ๐Ÿ”Ž Deeper Dive ๐Ÿก Konfab News ๐Ÿ˜ƒ Other Stuff In the tradition of Christmas, a surprise mixed sackful of startups to watch this week, with nods to some of our konfab contributors ๐ŸŽ ### ๐Ÿ’ธ Startups to Watch ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ญ **Hive Power -** software for smart grids, raised **โ‚ฌ3.5m** in seed funding from investors including Axpo, Creadd Ventures and Swiss Technology Fund. โ“ Why it matters - our grids need to get smarter, more agile, transport more electricity, aggregate distributed resources and deliver demand response services. Modelling this and delivering actionable insights is a key use of AI and big data. ๐ŸŽ One for Jack Lewis, our first guest article contributor, and AI, LLM and Data Analytics specialist. --- ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ **Stellantis and CATL -** [**joint venture**](https://www.stellantis.com/en/news/press-releases/2024/december/stellantis-and-calt-to-invest-up-to-4-1-billion-in-joint-venture-for-large-scale-lfp-battery-plant-in-spain?ref=content.konfab.io)to build a large-scale LFP(lithium iron phosphate) battery plant in Spain, with an investment of up to $4.1bn. โ“ Why it matters - We've talked about this before - there are a lot of batteries out there, potentially 400.000 per year in the EU alone by 2030, and there is plenty of life in them for secondary static applications ๐ŸŽ One for [Amrit Chandan](https://content.konfab.io/episode-1-battery-tech-startup-to-new-ai-venture/), guest of Episode 1 and founder of a EV battery startup for second life applications way back in 2015. --- ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฎ AISTI - Series A funding round to โ‚ฌ29m to accelerate the production of its innovative acoustic tiles - ignocellulosic wood fibres are processeed into highly porous, lightweight tiles. โ“ Why it matters - Decarbonising construction and building materials is vital. The focus is rightly on the big hitters like concrete. But we also consume a lot of mineral wool which this substitutes - the market is about $19 billion per year. ๐ŸŽ One for me! Only because it's the first startup news I've seen in acoustics for a long time, and I used to work in acoustics, so quite interesting! ๐Ÿ”Š --- ### ๐Ÿ”Ž Deeper Dive Some musing to keep you in the know, while you are laid out in a food coma. Big grid investment in the UK, to the tune of [ยฃ35bn from National Grid](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/dec/18/energy-firms-rewire-great-britain-electricity-grid?ref=content.konfab.io) over the next 5 years, plus a further ยฃ31bn from SE and ยฃ11bn. Big numbers indeed. We need a more agile grid, more capacity and efficiency. โšก UK currently has capacity of around 65GW, but we have 400GW of backlogged connection projects. We also spend about ยฃ1bn per year on [curtailment](https://utilityweek.co.uk/uk-spent-just-under-1bn-in-curtailment-costs-last-year/?ref=content.konfab.io). We need more storage capacity. ๐Ÿชซ Talking of wind farms - want to see a cool visualisation of GB renewables energy generation? [Check this out](https://renewables-map.robinhawkes.com/?ref=content.konfab.io#5/55/-3.2) from Robin Hawkes hobby project. ๐ŸŒฌ๏ธ [GB Renewables MapLive map showing realtime renewable energy generation in Great Britain![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d6/84/d6846eb6-a40f-44ba-8892-5a57f3a2df2f/content/images/icon/favicon-6.ico)![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d6/84/d6846eb6-a40f-44ba-8892-5a57f3a2df2f/content/images/thumbnail/renewables-map-og-1.webp)](https://renewables-map.robinhawkes.com/?ref=content.konfab.io#5/55/-3.2) In the battle to reduce emissions and slow down climate breakdown, Earth needs a good lawyer to take on the big guns. It always comes down to the money and the legal teams. Want to catch-up on some greenwashing over the holidays? ๐ŸŽจ Dive into Client Earth [greenwashing files](https://www.clientearth.org/projects/the-greenwashing-files/?ref=content.konfab.io) featuring stars of the show Aramco, Chevron, Drax, Equinor, ExxonMobil, INEOS, RWE, Shell and Total. Quite the read. โšซ --- ### ๐Ÿก Konfab News ##### Episode 1 - 'Talking Climate Tech' It's now live on the site in all its glory ๐Ÿ˜† Come one be kind, it's the first one! Quite the challenge to be honest - planning and getting to know the person beforehand is the fun part. Learning the software, editing, subtitles, post-production, music etc. is not too bad. The hardest part is the session itself and then when you look back at the original recording! Anyway, the next one will be easier. A very big thanks to Amrit who was great to chat with and has been a strong supporter of konfab, and for me personally, since the outset of this project. ๐Ÿ™ [Episode 1 - Battery tech startup to new AI ventureA fascinating conversation with Amrit Chandan, who shares his journey as a startup founder![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d6/84/d6846eb6-a40f-44ba-8892-5a57f3a2df2f/content/images/icon/Icon-8.png)konfabKane Watkinson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d6/84/d6846eb6-a40f-44ba-8892-5a57f3a2df2f/content/images/thumbnail/Screenshot-2024-12-17-at-12.21.06-1-1.png)](https://content.konfab.io/episode-1-battery-tech-startup-to-new-ai-venture/) ##### New Guest Post Very excited to have Michael Sura onboard as a regular guest collaborator with konfab. More articles from Michael in 2025\. He kicks off here with EV v ICE and why we need to rapidly put our foot down on the transition. ๐Ÿš—โšก If you don't follow Michael on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-sura-9a47511bb/?ref=content.konfab.io), then you certainly should now - a leading voice across Transport and Energy with data-driven insights and always with a real-world comparison infographic to hand! [EV vs ICE - Foot to the Floor!What is the โ€˜WHYโ€™ to remember around the transition from ICE to EV?![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d6/84/d6846eb6-a40f-44ba-8892-5a57f3a2df2f/content/images/icon/Icon-12.png)konfabMichael Sura![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d6/84/d6846eb6-a40f-44ba-8892-5a57f3a2df2f/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1506951796365-405279289a75-1)](https://content.konfab.io/ev-vs-ice-foot-to-the-floor/) --- ### ๐Ÿ˜ƒ Other Stuff ##### Feeling brave? New Year, new resolutions - got the adventure bug? Ocean Warrior is open to applications! Hope onboard and take to the high seas as part of the scientific team capturing vital oceanographic and meteorological climate data. Training is given, it's open to anybody, even if you've never been on a boat! Here you [go](https://www.global-warrior.com/?ref=content.konfab.io), casting off June 2025! More on Jim McNeil the explorer on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmcneill/?ref=content.konfab.io). ![Ocean Warrior - Climate Explorer Data Project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d6/84/d6846eb6-a40f-44ba-8892-5a57f3a2df2f/content/images/2024/12/Screenshot-2024-12-24-at-15.05.10.png) Ocean Warrior - Climate Explorer Data Project For taking on the big guns earlier โฌ†๏ธ it's great to see Laura Clarke OBE named in the Time100 Climate List for Client Earths sterling work. More on that [here](https://www.clientearth.org/latest/news/clientearth-s-ceo-laura-clarke-obe-named-in-the-time100-climate-list-of-the-most-influential-climate-business-leaders/?ref=content.konfab.io). [ClientEarthโ€™s CEO, Laura Clarke OBE, named in the TIME100 Climate listThe TIME100 Climate list of the most influential leaders driving business climate action![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d6/84/d6846eb6-a40f-44ba-8892-5a57f3a2df2f/content/images/icon/apple-touch-icon-4.png)Client earth logoBack![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d6/84/d6846eb6-a40f-44ba-8892-5a57f3a2df2f/content/images/thumbnail/0ea7be4f8414d48849c98bdddb119a955d453e10-1.jpg)](https://www.clientearth.org/latest/news/clientearth-s-ceo-laura-clarke-obe-named-in-the-time100-climate-list-of-the-most-influential-climate-business-leaders/?ref=content.konfab.io) ##### Pylon of the Month Where would be without it? If only we could decorate them like trees ๐ŸŽ„๐Ÿ’ญ I had to find a seasonal pylon...here we are in West Yorkshire, England, in February 2017, with some snow! ![Pylons in the snow, Ripponden, West Yorkshire, England](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d6/84/d6846eb6-a40f-44ba-8892-5a57f3a2df2f/content/images/2024/12/plyon-yorks-snow-1.jpg) Pylons in the snow, Ripponden, West Yorkshire, England: Quite the pylon traffic jam by the looks of it - you can read more on how these two lines of pylons turn through 90 degrees [here](https://www.pylonofthemonth.org/2017/02/pylon-of-the-month-february-2017.html?ref=content.konfab.io). That's it for this week! Happy Christmas, I hope you have a fantastic break with your loved ones. Thanks for your ongoing support and readership. ๐Ÿ™ Kane ๐ŸŒฑ PS - next year is going to be a good one ๐Ÿ˜‰ I can feel it. Give a gift, tell your friends and colleagues, it would mean a lot if you could share the konfab so we can continue to build our audience ๐Ÿ˜„ [content.konfab.io](https://content.konfab.io/) [konfabFree to Subscribe | Friday Newsletter | Video Podcast | Blog. I write about the climate tech industry trends commercial professionals and decision-makers need to make data-driven, faster decisions in business.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d6/84/d6846eb6-a40f-44ba-8892-5a57f3a2df2f/content/images/icon/Icon-11.png)konfabKane Watkinson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d6/84/d6846eb6-a40f-44ba-8892-5a57f3a2df2f/content/images/thumbnail/pexels-t-keawkanok-3252323-12990385-1.jpg)](https://content.konfab.io/) ---