We all know the climate crisis is one of the most pressing issues of our time. While the challenges are immense, innovations in climate tech are providing breakthrough solutions around the globe. At Carbon Equity, we are convinced we don’t talk about them enough.
Hope for a Decarbonized Economy
We actually know a lot about the steps we need to take and the technologies we need to develop to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050. To get there, we need to change the way we work, eat, live, make things, generate power, and travel, meaning we will have to transform and decarbonize our entire economy. Thankfully, new competitive solutions are being developed every day.
From transforming air and electricity into sustainable jet fuel, to storing energy in bricks, to making concrete with microorganisms, let's explore some of the most surprising climate technologies and get inspired by the companies behind them.
1. Twelve: making sustainable jet fuel out of thin air (and electricity)
Simply said: Twelve uses a a high-tech version of photosynthesis to transform CO2, water and renewable electricity into products like sustainable jet fuel and plastics
It is widely recognized that the aviation and chemical industries are major greenhouse gas culprits. Aviation alone makes up about 2% of global CO2 emissions, and the chemical sector contributes to around 5%. Twelve aims to cut global emissions by taking the CO2 from the air and turning it into essential chemicals and fuels. Thanks to a special catalyst, their tech works like industrial photosynthesis: it uses CO2, water and renewable energy to produce products that are usually made from fossil fuels. Their system can scale up and fit into existing setups. Twelve stands out because it offers a way to make low-carbon products without compromising on quality and has a strong patent portfolio. Twelve has been recognized as the world’s #1 most innovative energy company of 2022 by Fast Company and as a BloombergNEF Pioneer in the Decarbonizing Aviation category.
2. Magrathea: filtering seawater and brine to produce metal
Simply said: Magnesium is key for industries like automotive and aviation, but making it is super carbon-intensive. Magrathea is shaking things up by using renewable energy to create magnesium from seawater.
Magnesium is an important metal used globally in the automotive, aviation and electronic industries. However, today’s magnesium supply chain heavily relies on open-pit mining and is highly concentrated in Russia and China. This production method releases about 12 tonnes of CO2 for every tonne of magnesium produced. By leveraging renewable energy to extract magnesium from seawater and industrial waste brine, Magrathea is introducing a low-carbon alternative that also boosts supply chain stability. By turning waste brine into a resource Magrathea not only reduces overall waste but also reduces dependence on regions with carbon-intensive production methods. Recent advancements in filtration technology have significantly improved the feasibility and efficiency of extracting metals from brine. With the help of a selective membrane, Magrathea can target and extract specific ions from briny pater. The brine is purified and evaporated down to isolate magnesium salt which is then electrolyzed (separated with an electrical current) to produce a carbon-neutral magnesium. With their innovative solution, Magrathea not only reduces the environmental impact of metal mining but also contributes to a circular economy by repurposing industrial waste products.
3. Form Energy: making the grid reliable with iron and air (batteries)
Simply said: Form Energy tackles the issue of balancing the electric grid by offering a long-duration battery made from iron and air. The battery, which stores energy for up to 100 hours, comes with a toolkit to better plan and manage renewable energy, making the grid more reliable and cleaner.
Today’s electricity production accounts for 23% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The electric grid needs to ensure that the power supply meets demand at all times, so it often relies on fossil fuels to keep the power steady when sources like solar and wind aren’t producing. To successfully transition to cleaner electricity sources, we need a grid that can efficiently store and balance renewable energy. Form Energy aims to tackle this issue of balancing the grid by providing a long-duration storage solution that can store energy for up to 100 hours. Their key technology includes an iron-air battery, which contrary to widespread lithium batteries, uses some of the safest, most affordable, and widely available materials on earth— water, air and iron. Better yet, the battery recharges through oxidation. This means it takes in oxygen to turn iron into rust when it discharges, and when it charges, it reverses the process, turning rust back into iron and releasing oxygen. To top it off, Form Energy also offers a grid modeling toolkit that helps create more reliable and cost-effective renewable energy by factoring in real-world weather variation.
4. Up Catalyst: transforming CO2 into graphite to reduce the footprint of EV batteries
Simply said: As more people use EVs and batteries, the demand for carbon nanomaterials like graphite rises. The catch? Traditional graphite production is pretty polluting. Up Catalyst has found a way to make graphite from CO2 with a breakthrough electrochemical transformation method, significantly reducing EVs' carbon footprint and locking in captured carbon for centuries.
As EV adoption increases, the demand for graphite, a key raw material for batteries, is surging. Given that much of these batteries' carbon footprint comes from highly polluting sources of graphite, finding a way to reduce its impact can go a long way toward making EVs more sustainable. Enter Up Catalyst with its cutting-edge Molten Salt Carbon Capture and Electrochemical transformation method. Their process dissolves CO2 in molten salt (salt that has been heated to a liquid state) which then undergoes several electrochemical reactions. These reactions produce various carbon structures, like carbon nanofibers, carbon nanospheres and graphite. The icing on the cake? The batteries with Up Catalyst’s nanotubes last for more charging cycles while maintaining higher performance than today’s standard batteries.
5. Biomason: growing cement with bacteria
Simply said: Biomason is changing the game in cement production by using bacteria to create calcium carbonate at room temperatures. This drastically reduces CO2 emissions compared to the traditional way of cooking limestone with fossil fuels.
Cement is the main ingredient for concrete and is responsible for 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. As the most commonly used material in the world, decarbonizing its production presents an immense opportunity. The traditional way of making cement is by heating limestone to 1450 °C using fossil fuels. Moreover, the limestone produces additional CO2 emissions when undergoing the chemical reaction. In contrast, Biomason’s biocement production process uses a rare strain of bacteria that secretes calcium carbonate when it “eats” limestone. Better yet, the process works in ambient temperatures, eliminating nearly all of the emissions. Biomason is completely unique in their field, they are the only company in the world that is producing cement organically (that we or they know of).
6. Koloma: drilling natural hydrogen as an alternative to fossil fuels
Simply said: Naturally occurring hydrogen, or white hydrogen, has long been dismissed as a source of clean energy. Turns out, it’s way more common and accessible than previously thought. Koloma is designing cool new tech to find the best spots to extract carbon-free hydrogen which is potentially a cheaper alternative to its cousin, the synthetically made green hydrogen.
A few decades ago, scientists discovered hydrogen that naturally forms underground, mainly through a natural continuous process, called serpentinization, where water reacts with iron-rich minerals at very high temperatures. For a long time, white hydrogen was dismissed as a possible renewable and clean energy source on the assumption that it was incredibly rare on Earth and mostly inaccessible. However, new discoveries are now pointing to potential spots all around the globe. The chase for effectively unlimited, cheap, low-to-no emissions hydrogen is on. Koloma is working on tech to find the best places to extract this kind of hydrogen. Geological hydrogen needs less water and energy to get out compared to green hydrogen, which might make it cheaper. Tom Darrah, Koloma’s co-founder, holds 16 patents on discovering and extracting white hydrogen, and the company could be the first to really tap into this resource. If they succeed, we might be able to get hydrogen in a way that’s similar, but less invasive, to how we used to drill for oil and gas.
7. Fervo Energy: harvesting the earth's previously out-of-reach heat
Simply said: Geothermal energy used to only work in specific geologies. Thanks to Fervo Energy’s new tech for sensing and drilling, they can now unlock spots that were previously off-limits.
Geothermal energy is a well-established renewable option that doesn’t face the ups and downs of weather like solar or wind power. However, its biggest disadvantage is that it only works in specific locations. Fervo Energy is shaking things up by using technology from other industries to enhance geothermal energy. They can drill horizontally in geothermal reservoirs, making it easier to access areas that were previously out of reach. They also use optic fibers to gather real-time data on things like flow and temperature and have developed advanced algorithms to boost heat extraction efficiency. With their new approach to well design, data collection, and analytics, Fervo is truly expanding the potential of geothermal energy.
8. Rondo Energy: storing thermal energy to decarbonize industrial processes can be as simple as bricks
Simply said: Rondo’s thermal energy storage systems transform high-temperature industrial processes into low-carbon operations. By using electric-heated bricks up to 1500°C, they enable factories to electrify heat, while storing green electricity with near-zero heat loss.
Making materials like cement and steel usually needs extremely high temperatures, which has traditionally been done using fossil fuels since greener methods haven’t been able to reach those temperatures yet. Enter Rondo’s thermal energy storage systems. Their Heat Battery works like a toaster but at up to 1500°C, using electric wires to heat up fire bricks. Air or steam is then heated by these bricks and fed into the heat network already in place at the facility. The cherry on top? The system can store this energy for hours or even days with almost no heat loss, so you can buy green electricity when it’s cheap and abundant and deploy it when needed.
9. Gigablue: naturally harnessing the deep ocean, Earth's greatest CO2 reservoir
Simply said: Gigablue’s technology boosts the ocean’s natural ability to absorb CO2 by using engineered particles that control phytoplankton growth, quickly sink to the ocean floor, and lock away carbon for thousands of years.
Microalgae are responsible for most of the CO2 captured from the atmosphere to the ocean. However, ensuring this organic carbon reaches the seafloor and escapes the process of remineralization–whereby respiration by other organisms turns it back into CO2–is no easy feat. Through a novel combination of AI and biogeochemistry, Gigablue efficiently exports carbon to the deep ocean and sequesters it there for thousands of years. The key is containing microalgae growth in engineered particles with a gravity-controlling core. According to Gigablue, the technology is projected to be 10 times cheaper than other methods and boasts significant co-benefits, like boosting marine ecosystem biodiversity. With the potential to sequester immense amounts of CO2 every year, Gigablue’s solution offers a truly scalable carbon removal approach.
10. Aeroseal: sealing invisible leaks with microparticles for energy-efficient buildings
Simply said: To create more energy-efficient buildings, Aeroseal uses tiny aerosol particles to tackle insulation. Their machines blast the particles in an entire house sealing all gaps. This reduces energy waste, improves indoor air quality and cuts costs all at once.
Aeroseal addresses the common yet significant issue of energy waste in buildings: insulation leaks. Traditionally, fixing leaks in places like duct, window frame or roofs involves extensive time-consuming and isn’t always thorough. Aeroseal has developed a patented sealing chemistry tech in combination with an AI and IoT-equipped installation hardware. Aeroseal’s machines inject non-toxic aerosolized particles that automatically find and seal leaks, even the invisible ones. This breakthrough technology reduces energy consumption, enhances indoor air quality, and reduces energy bills all at once. It is a true game changer in this space with substantial market traction that saves time, money and labour while addressing types of leaks that would be impossible to fix using other methods without major renovations.
The next mile
From early-stage to late-stage rollout, all these innovative technologies play a crucial role in driving a sustainable and decarbonized world. But to successfully complete this enormous task, these solutions will need to prove their technologies at a large scale. For that, they will need abounding resources. It’s estimated that to get to net zero, we need to invest US$4 trillion more annually to really move away from fossil fuels and polluting industries.
Venture capital investments have an essential role to play in helping early-stage technologies reach maturity and accelerate their adoption by everyone. The good news for investors is: the urgency of investing in solutions to combat climate change is accompanied by a growing economic potential. Climate technologies are developing rapidly and many of them have a clear pathway to cost-parity; offering competitive and more efficient solutions. Climate tech is expected to reach a market size of US$12 trillion.
Through Carbon Equity you can invest in all stages and dozens of companies via a single portfolio fund (all the companies listed above are part of our funds!). By investing in these promising technologies and the visionary companies behind them, investors can play a pivotal role in the global effort to achieve net zero emissions while making good money.
