New report calls for Houston, energy incumbents to step up to lead energy transition investment

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A new report from the Houston Energy Transition Initiative finds that the energy transition sector should commit $150 billion in capital by 2040. Photo via Getty Images

In Houston’s quest to become the world’s energy transition capital, the region should aim for $150 billion in capital earmarked for the sector by 2040, a new report says.

The report, released by the Houston Energy Transition Initiative, or HETI, and supported by consulting giant McKinsey & Co., indicates about $15 billion in energy transition capital is flowing into the region each year and about $25 billion is flowing out of the region. Of the $25 billion, oil and gas players with headquarters or a significant presence in Houston account for more than 80 percent.

“Increased energy transition capital commitment from energy incumbents raises investor confidence in Houston’s potential for energy transition leadership,” according to the report.

The report identifies several primary targets for energy transition capital, such as:

  • Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS)
  • Hydrogen
  • Renewable fuels
  • Chemicals and plastics
  • Power generation

Such sources would represent $85 billion of the $150 billion in energy transition capital envisioned for 2040, according to the report. The $150 billion in capital would be the equivalent of up to 80 percent of capital expenditures by the U.S. oil and gas sector in 2021.

The $150 billion “would help the diversity of the city’s economy, workforce, and infrastructure,” the report says.

“There is no geography in the world better positioned than Houston to lead the transition to and integration of abundant, low-carbon energy solutions,” Jane Stricker, executive director of HETI, says in a news release from the Greater Houston Partnership.

The report says that to reach the $150 billion mark, the Houston area must step up the amount of investment in local energy transition startups. As it stands now, more energy transition capital (about $25 billion) is going out of the region than is coming into the region (about $15 billion). Much of that capital supports startups.

Funding for energy transition ventures in the region needs to be supplied by players in venture capital, debt capital, and private equity, the report points out.

Aside from the money required to evolve into the world’s energy transition capital, the report notes that the region also needs to:

  • Become a talent and innovation hub. Among other things, this would involve attracting more startup incubators and accelerators, boosting recruitment at area and out-of-state universities, ramping up financial commitments from major energy companies here, and encouraging major energy companies with headquarters outside the region to base their energy transition operations here.
  • Increase marketing of Houston as a hub for financing of energy transition efforts. This would include reaching out to financiers outside Houston (in places such as New York City, the Middle East, and Singapore), holding energy transition events in Houston, and wooing energy transition companies and financiers.

“Houston’s status as the energy capital of the world, based on decades of leadership in energy markets, has fostered an experienced [private equity] and capital markets community,” says Kassia Yanosek, Houston- based partner and global leader in McKinsey’s energy and sustainability practices. “Our city’s financial sector leaders have great appetite to expand focus to the next investment wave — and face a pivotal opportunity in today’s evolving market to grow and scale energy transition-related endeavors.”
There's a lot of clean tech potential in hydrogen — and Houston might be the place to lead the way. Image via Getty Images

New report shows why now is the time for Houston to emerge as a hub for hydrogen innovation

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Houston, known for being the energy capital of the world, has potential to lead innovation within the hydrogen space, and a new report lays out how.

The report, which was released today by the Center for Houston’s Future, is titled "Houston as the epicenter of a global clean hydrogen hub." The information explains how Houston-based assets can be leveraged to lead a global clean hydrogen innovation.

“The Houston region has the talent, expertise and infrastructure needed to lead the global energy transition to a low-carbon world. Clean hydrogen, alongside carbon capture, use, and storage are among the key technology areas where Houston is set up to succeed and can be an example to other leading energy economies around the world,” says Bobby Tudor, chair of the Greater Houston Partnership’s Houston Energy Transition Initiative, in a news release.

Together, GHP's HETI and over 100 experts representing 70 companies and organizations produced the report, along with McKinsey and Company, which donated significant research and economic analyses. Here are some highlights from the study, according to the release:

  • Clean hydrogen production could grow 5 times over current hydrogen production by 2050.
  • The establishment of a clean hydrogen industry could create 180,000 jobs (direct, indirect and induced) statewide, while adding $100 billion to Texas' GDP growth.
  • Globally, a Houston-led clean hydrogen hub could abate 220 million tons (MT) tons of carbon emissions by 2050.

“This report gives additional weight to the already strong case that Houston is uniquely positioned to lead a transformational clean hydrogen hub with global impact,” says Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. “We can also deliver economic growth, create jobs and cut emissions across Houston and the Gulf Coast, including in underserved communities.”

The Houston region already produces and consumes a third of the nation’s hydrogen, per the release, and has more than 50 percent of the country’s dedicated hydrogen pipelines. These assets can be utilized to accelerate a transition to clean hydrogen, and the report lays out how.

"Using this roadmap as a guide and with Houston’s energy sector at the lead, we are ready to create a new clean hydrogen economy that will help fight climate change as it creates jobs and economic growth,” says Center for Houston’s Future CEO Brett Perlman. “We are more than ready, able and willing to take on these goals, as our record of overwhelming success in energy innovation and new market development shows.”
At Greentown Houston's first anniversary event, Mayor Sylvester Turner says he wants Houston to be a hub for hydrogen innovation. Photo via GreentownLabs/Twitter

Houston has all the ingredients to be a major hub for hydrogen innovation, mayor says

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The government is gearing up to dole out billions of dollars in funding to support innovation within hydrogen — and the city of Houston wants a chunk of that cash.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which was announced by the The U.S. Department of Energy to seek out opportunities in hydrogen, includes $8 billion to go toward establishing Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs. At Greentown Houston's first anniversary event, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced he's determined to position the city as one of those hubs.

"Houston and the Gulf Coast are ideally suited to scale up and become a leader in the hydrogen economy," Mayor Turner says. "We have the knowledge, the workforce, and infrastructure to produce clean hydrogen."

"The Gulf Coast has the nation's largest concentration of hydrogen production assets, dedicated hydrogen pipeline infrastructure, and many industrial hydrogen customers," he continues. "I am confident we have the tools in our toolbox at our disposal right here in Texas — and especially right here in Houston — to lead the global energy transition initiative."

The city has made other efforts to advance Houston as an energy transition leader, including the Greater Houston Partnership establishing the Houston Energy Transition Initiative, led by Executive Director Jane Stricker.

"We have the right assets, the right infrastructure — all of that exists. This is where all of the big investment decisions get made in the energy industry," Stricker says on Greentown's panel that followed Mayor Turner's address.

She continues, adding that something that should be top of mind for the energy industry and local universities is the workforce.

"If we're going to create 600,000 jobs in Houston over the next 30 years through this energy transition — and that's what we need to do — we need to be thinking about what those jobs are," she says on the panel.

Greentown's Low-Carbon Hydrogen Accelerator, which kicked off earlier this month, is another ongoing initiative in collaboration with the city to support innovation within hydrogen and low-carbon technologies.

"In Houston, we dream big, and make big things happen," Mayor Turner says on the future of Houston as a leader in this space. "When we play as a team, we do well."
The former BP executive will lead Houston's role in the energy transition as the executive director of the Houston Energy Transition Initiative, a brand new position at the Greater Houston Partnership. Photo courtesy of GHP

Greater Houston Partnership names former BP exec to lead energy transition

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Jane Stricker, a longtime Houston-based executive at oil and gas giant BP, has been tapped to lead the Greater Houston Partnership's new initiative designed to boost the Bayou City's profile in the shift toward low-carbon energy.

The partnership announced Stricker's hiring November 11. She'll join the organization effective January 1 as executive director of the Houston Energy Transition Initiative (HETI) and senior vice president of energy transition.

The Greater Houston Partnership unveiled HETI in June. As the partnership explained then, HETI "aims to drive sustainable and equitable economic growth in the Greater Houston region through a portfolio of technology, policy, and market initiatives that scale and export solutions for realizing a low-carbon energy world."

A report from the University of Houston's Gutierrez Energy Management Institute, UH Energy, and the Center for Houston's Future suggests the region is poised to become the "low-carbon energy capital."

In a business-as-usual scenario, Houston's energy-based economy stands to lose anywhere from 270,000 to 650,000 jobs if it fails to act in response to the low-carbon transition, according to a partnership report published in June. But if Houston takes "decisive action" to lead the energy transition, the region could gain as many as 560,000 jobs.

Among other things, HETI says it will:

  • Jumpstart carbon-reduction efforts, such as carbon capture, hydrogen production, and battery technology.
  • Attract companies operating in spaces like wind energy, solar power, and biofuels.
  • Bolster companies involved in projects like development of electric vehicles, decarbonization of oil and natural gas, and production of geothermal energy.

It now will be Stricker's responsibility to oversee the multifaceted initiative, bringing together industry, academic, and community partners to advance the Houston area's role in global energy transition.

"Jane is a thought leader in the energy industry who brings an extensive knowledge of the global energy ecosystem and the pathways to a low-carbon future," Bob Harvey, president and CEO of the partnership, says in a news release. "She understands the importance of collaboration across the ecosystem to get results, and I am confident the work she will facilitate will position Houston as the global hub of the energy transition, driving our region's long-term economic success."

Stricker has spent more than 20 years at BP, most recently as a senior relationship manager working with an array of organizations on issues such as carbon capture and energy decarbonization. While at BP, she spearheaded the National Petroleum Council's 2019 study on carbon capture, use, and sequestration.

"This is an exciting time for Houston and our energy ecosystem as we focus our efforts on leading the global energy transition," Stricker says. "The challenge of our lifetime is addressing this dual challenge of meeting increased global energy demand while confronting global climate change. Houston is known for solving problems that matter. I believe through innovation, collaboration, and focus, our region can lead the way and deliver solutions that change the world."

Aside from her previous role at BP, Stricker is a contributing faculty member for the University of Houston's Sustainable Energy Development Program, an advisory board member of the Energy Industries Council Connect Energy USA, and a graduate of the Center for Houston's 2020 Future Leadership Forum.

Stricker takes the helm of the energy initiative at a critical time.

The International Energy Agency predicts energy-related carbon emissions will soar by more than 1.65 billion tons this year, or nearly 5 percent, driven in large part by coal-fueled generation of electricity. That would be the second largest rise in annual carbon missions in history.

In a report released earlier this year, the International Monetary Fund noted that additional public investments in infrastructure to support the move to net-zero emissions will need to equal roughly 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) over the next decade. That would easily amount to billions of dollars in global spending.

Taken together — the jump in carbon emissions and the need for more spending to combat them — the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate conservatively estimated in 2018 that the low-carbon economy could deliver at least $26 trillion in economic benefits through 2030. Lux Research forecasts the global market solely for carbon capture and recycling could reach $70 billion by 2030.

Looking farther down the road, the United Nations Development Programme says a heightened commitment to green energy — propelled largely by low-carbon strategies — could boost global GDP by $98 trillion by 2050.

"The investments needed for low-carbon infrastructure are substantial but manageable, and economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis presents an opportunity to speed up the low-carbon transition," the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate observes.
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Houston innovator on seeing a greener future on built environment

HOUSTON INNOVATORS PODCAST EPISODE 162

An architect by trade, Anas Al Kassas says he was used to solving problems in his line of work. Each project architects take on requires building designers to be innovative and creative. A few years ago, Kassas took his problem-solving background into the entrepreneurship world to scale a process that allows for retrofitting window facades for energy efficiency.

“If you look at buildings today, they are the largest energy-consuming sector — more than industrial and more than transportation,” Kassas, founder and CEO of INOVUES, says on the Houston Innovators Podcast. “They account for up to 40 percent of energy consumption and carbon emissions.”

To meet their climate goals, companies within the built environment are making moves to transition to electric systems. This has to be done with energy efficiency in mind, otherwise it will result in grid instability.

"Energy efficiency goes hand in hand with energy transition," he explains.

Kassas says that he first had the idea for his company when he was living in Boston. He chose to start the business in Houston, attracted to the city by its central location, affordable labor market, and manufacturing opportunities here.

Last year, INOVUES raised its first round of funding — a $2.75 million seed round — to scale up the team and identify the best markets to target customers. Kassas says he was looking for regions with rising energy rates and sizable incentives for companies making energy efficient changes.

"We were able to now implement our technology in over 4 million square feet of building space — from Boston, Seattle, Los Angeles, New York City, Portland, and very soon in Canada," he says.

Notably missing from that list is any Texas cities. Kassas says that he believes Houston is a great city for startups and he has his operations and manufacturing is based here, but he's not yet seen the right opportunity and adaption

"Unfortunately most of our customers are not in Texas," "A lot of work can be done here to incentivize building owners. There are a lot of existing buildings and construction happening here, but there has to be more incentives."

Kassas shares more about his growth over the past year, as well as what he has planned for 2023 on the podcast. Listen to the interview below — or wherever you stream your podcasts — and subscribe for weekly episodes.

Houston SPAC announces merger with Beaumont-based tech company in deal valued at $100M

speaking of spacs

A Houston SPAC, or special purpose acquisition company, has announced the company it plans to merge with in the new year.

Beaumont-based Infrared Cameras Holdings Inc., a provider of thermal imaging platforms, and Houston-based SportsMap Tech Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: SMAP), a publicly-traded SPAC with $117 million held in trust, announced their agreement for ICI to IPO via SPAC.

Originally announced in the fall of last year, the blank-check company is led by David Gow, CEO and chairman. Gow is also chairman and CEO of Gow Media, which owns digital media outlets SportsMap, CultureMap, and InnovationMap, as well as the SportsMap Radio Network, ESPN 97.5 and 92.5.

The deal will close in the first half of 2023, according to a news release, and the combined company will be renamed Infrared Cameras Holdings Inc. and will be listed on NASDAQ under a new ticker symbol.

“ICI is extremely excited to partner with David Gow and SportsMap as we continue to deliver our innovative software and hardware solutions," says Gary Strahan, founder and CEO of ICI, in the release. "We believe our software and sensor technology can change the way companies across industries perform predictive maintenance to ensure reliability, environmental integrity, and safety through AI and machine learning.”

Strahan will continue to serve as CEO of the combined company, and Gow will become chairman of the board. The transaction values the combined company at a pre-money equity valuation of $100 million, according to the release, and existing ICI shareholders will roll 100 percent of their equity into the combined company as part of the transaction.

“We believe ICI is poised for strong growth," Gow says in the release. "The company has a strong value proposition, detecting the overheating of equipment in industrial settings. ICI also has assembled a strong management team to execute on the opportunity. We are delighted to combine our SPAC with ICI.”

Founded in 1995, ICI provides infrared and imaging technology — as well as service, training, and equipment repairs — to various businesses and individuals across industries.

Report: Federal funding, increased life science space drive industry growth in Houston

by the numbers

Federal funding, not venture capital, continues to be the main driver of growth in Houston’s life sciences sector, a new report suggests.

The new Houston Life Science Insight report from commercial real estate services company JLL shows Houston accounted for more than half (52.7 percent) of total funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) across major Texas markets through the third quarter of this year. NIH funding in the Houston area totaled $769.6 million for the first nine months of 2022, exceeding the five-year average by 19.3 percent.

VC funding for Houston’s life sciences sector pales in comparison.

For the first nine months of this year, companies in life sciences raised $147.3 million in VC, according to the report. Based on that figure, Houston is on pace in 2022 to meet or surpass recent life sciences VC totals for most other years except 2021. JLL describes 2021 as an “outlier” when it comes to annual VC hauls for the region’s life sciences companies.

JLL notes that “limited venture capital interest in private industry has remained a challenge for the city’s life sciences sector. Furthermore, it may persist as venture capital strategies are reevaluated and investment strategies shift toward near-term profits.”

While life sciences VC funding has a lot of ground to cover to catch up with NIH funding, there are other bright spots for the sector.

One of those bright spots is the region’s rising amount of life sciences space.

The Houston area boasts more than 2.4 million square feet of space for life sciences operations, with another 1.1 million under construction and an additional 1.5 million square feet on the drawing board, the report says. This includes a soon-to-open lab spanning 25,000 square feet in the first phase of Levit Green.

A second bright spot is the migration of life sciences companies to the region. Two Southern California-based life sciences companies, Cellipoint Bioservices and Obagi Cosmeceuticals, plan to move their headquarters and relocate more than half of their employees to The Woodlands by the first half of 2023, according to the report.

“Houston’s low tax rate and cost of living were primary drivers for the decisions, supported by a strong labor pool that creates advantages for companies’ expansion and relocation considerations,” JLL says.

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