Talking Climate Tech 050
🚀 Offshore AR7 | 🪨 China v India Coal | 💸 Startup Investments | 📝 Guest Article | 🇬🇱 Trump v NATO | 🥊 US Wind Punches Back | 📈 NZ Jobs | 🇻🇪 Oil Again | 💰Follow the Money
Celebrate the small wins; today is Newsletter week 050, a nice round number! 🎉
My best guesstimate, around 85-100,000 words of weekly news served to you lovely people. 🙌
But it's not quantity or size of course, but quality and value. I'm not saying it's all good - this is a learning curve for me too - but I hope you have enjoyed some quality on the journey with me, and got some value on a company, technology, news, or something random, like a pylon ⚡ 😆
Keep the 👍 👎 feedback, emails and LinkedIn messages coming - it all goes into the mixing pot and is heartly appreciated.
On we go!
I hope you enjoy reading me! I'm a free newsletter, you can be a treasured supporter with a small donation of your choosing here 🫶 ⬇️
🗞️ News Roundup
Offshore Wind AR7 🌬️
Lot's of coverage on this, you are pobably bored already - so here's a nice visual from Frankie Mayo at Ember, showing what's what, and where.
China v India Coal Race 📉
Heading right the way down, nice snapshot from Carbon Brief - are we finally seeing the back of coal in the two big coal-giants? 🙏
💸 Investment News
We haven't had any for a while - here are 3 from the last couple of weeks that caught my eye 👀
🌊 Orbital Marine picked up £7m round via PXN Ventures and Scottish Enterprise, minaly geared towards delivering its Canadian tidal turbine development in Nova Scotia. More.
Notes on Orbital here from 025.
♨️ Fervo Energy, they of EGS / Enhanced Geothermal Systems in the US, picked up a $462m bucket via B Capital,. Google and Breakthrough Energy Ventures. Enabling them to complete their 500MW Utah project. More.
🐙 Kraken Technologies, the software backbone of UK energy supplier Octopus, raised a tidy $1bn, with a view to spinning out Kraken soon, with a valuation of $8.65bn. More.
Sifted Top 21 🏆
Its subscriber only, but just to let you know, it's the usual boring list of AI, challenger banks etc 🥱 but Octopus did make it in at Number 11, and just outside Top 21, was Verkor, french battery manufacturer, with a valuation of $4.6bn.
New one for me!
Go Canada 🇨🇦
Another end of year recape, this time on Canadian Climate funding.
A few selected notes care of Climate Tech Canada:
Canadian climate tech companies raised $1.11 billion across 65 deals in 2025, down 13% from 2024's $1.38 billion. While deal volume held steady, average deal size grew slightly (4%) reflecting an active - but selective - market
Seed deals spanned all sectors, including FeX Energy (energy storage), Enurgen (solar optimization), CURA (low-carbon cement) and Dispersa (chemicals)
Seed market is positive, early stage and into A & B is challenging, C+ is really stuck. Growth equity ⬆️ was the the 2025 winner.
💥 Trump Watch
One weekend of Trump action feels like a lifetime! Imagine how Melania feels, although no sympathy to be fair. 🤯
Remember those Epstein Files...? Everyone has forgotten about them now we are talking about Trump in Venezuala, Greenland and Iran. 🪄 🤔
Couple of interesting video links via my LinkedIn posts on Greenland. I came across this meme, sorry I forgot who's it was - Sweden 'lending their axe' along with several other EU/NATO countries who have put a few boots on the ground.
To appease him yes, but more tactically to block him, from my post - the quick deployment of small numbers of NATO military from a multitude of countries means he’s now a bit stuck...
Best Case: Back down, lose face, accept enhanced NATO presence, and get some extra bases, which he could have had anyway.
Worst Case: Go all in economically and/or militarily, blow up NATO, blow up US bonds and debt, destroy what’s left of the post-war world order.
There's also this, stand by for more destruction! Although some people might say Davos could do with a 'reset', as long as it doesn't get hijacked into another fossil fuel-fest, as per COP.
Venezuala 🇻🇪
The oil grab sprung into action this past week, the 'Big Guy' asking for $100bn of investment to revolutionise the industry. Exxon said, no thanks - CEO, Darren Woods
We have had our assets seized there twice and so you can imagine to re-enter a third time would require some pretty significant changes from what we've historically seen and what is currently the state. Today it's uninvestable.
Where better to go for more action on Venezuala than to our man Seb Kennedy, another excellent piece here:
As the world fixates on oil, Venezuela burns $1.4bn of gas — while sitting on an untouched methane empire that could redraw regional power
Seb Kennedy
There's always more of the Don 👀
Meanwhile, there was also:
PJM Interconnection, the largest US grid operator called out Don for his offshore wind ban:
It is widely recognized, including by the current administration, that there is a pressing need for additional electric generation in PJM’s region to meet rising demand and ensure the reliability of the interstate transmission grid
Revolution Wind punched back up, with the District Court of Columbia suspending Don's all-stop construciton order. Sweet relief for now to Orsted.
The court rightly saw through a politically motivated stop-work order that would have caused real harm: driving up costs, delaying power for Rhode Island and Connecticut, and putting good-paying jobs at risk. It’s good news for workers, ratepayers, and anyone who recognizes the need for a fair energy market
Empire Wind also punched back up, this time even a Trump appointed judge went against him 🤣 Sweet relief this time for Equinor. Good summary on all 5 Trump stop orders here. CBS News.
He faulted the government for not responding to key points in Empire Wind's court filings, including the contention that the administration violated proper procedure
EPA decides emissions are healthy. Yep, they will stop counting the health benefits from curbing fine particulate matter and ozone pollutants. What is the point of the EPA? NY Times.
A seismic shift that runs counter to the EPA’s mission statement
90 days / 362 days in office = 24.9%, taxpayer cost $126m
🏡 Konfab News
New Guest Article 📝
Matt Bleasdale is back, a timely coincidence with the AR7 results in the UK offshore wind sector. 😉
AR7 results were widely received as positive, in the main; there was certainly a positive vibe across the sector on LinkedIn. Certain elements of media and politicians, not so much. Ho-hum. 🙄
You can recap on Matt's Part 1 for context, or you can dive straight into Part 2 with his alternative approach to the CfD. We know from past experience, despite a positive auction signal, it doesn't mean these multi-GW assets will actually be built.
But there is another way...
Matt Bleasdale
Matt Bleasdale
LinkedIn Rewind ⏪
Quick summary of some recent posts you may have missed:
New Year, New Desk - also check the comments for geeky kit list
Trump v EU - he doesn't have the cards for Greenland, and it might cost him $20T
UK Gas Storage - do we have enough?
Net Zero Jobs - +56,000 just in grid infrastructure!
Survey 01 Results ⁉️
You may well be wondering, what's happened to the results! I have some results, and I appreciate the insights from all those that did take part. 🙏
As with any election, turnout was low 😆 so the data sample isn't really reflective of the near 2,000 subscribers. It must be the way I asked them! 🤷♂️
I have got some info though that have taken onboard, some ideas and some reflections. I shall continue to digest and consider!
😃 Good Stuff
More Transition Jobs 📊
It's not just the UK, quick snapshot from IEA here. Not sure why they included ICE engines as noted in the subtext though. 🤔
In case you missed it or didn't get to the LinkedIn post, this was the chart I was refering to about UK NZ jobs inthe grid infrastructure sector alone.
Now add, generation, manufacturing, operaitons, other supply chain...📈
Follow the Money 💰
Another nice chart, showing Banks know how to make money. 😱
Good news then - green finacing pays better than fossil fuels fees. ✅
That's it for this week - I will be rasing a small toast to 50 up tonight. 🍻
Enjoy your weekend...
Thanks for your time, interest and support as always, let's keep pushing forward - remember, the momentum is unstoppable despite everything you might see and hear! 🌍
Kane
