CIC Insights

Written by: Paul Watson

Community Power Accelerator Hubs Deliver Energy Justice to the People of Port Arthur

Community Power Accelerator Hubs Deliver Energy Justice 

CIC Energy is a catalyst for community solar expansion—an agent of impactful change in marginalized communities. Community solar relieves the financial burden placed on low- and medium-income households, provides local grid resilience, and stimulates economic activity in economically and racially underserved communities.

CIC Energy, in collaboration with its partner organizations and sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE), is leading the charge to advance adoption of solar PV and storage , training a critical infrastructure workforce to meet the supply gaps in human resources (trades skills), and meeting the explosive demand for new energy…

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Climate Impact Capital Portfolio Company Wins Phase 1 of Department of Energy Prize totally $10M to accelerate community microgrids

Climate Impact Capital Portfolio Company Wins Phase 1 of Department of Energy Prize totally $10M to accelerate community microgrids

Climate Impact Capital spun out Climate Impact Capital Energy Holdings, LLC (CIC Energy) in 2021 to address significant gaps in U.S. energy workforce and critical infrastructure development. CIC Energy serves two segments by addressing the I. demand for energy (e.g. cost-effective electricity, equitable energy, demand response programs, backup power) and lack of supply of human resources with technical and trade skills.

CIC Energy will deploy Phase 1 winnings and fuel Team Impact with funding and technical support provided by the

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Solar Jobs and Energy Transition Careers

Mind The Gap – Solar Jobs, Workforce Development 

Do you believe today’s high school graduates are prepared to secure America’s energy future?

A continued lack of vision for an integrated energy network has left us with a sizable gap, most notably in human resources.  America’s power grid needs an overhaul and renewables offer a sustainable solution to lower energy costs, improve resiliency through decentralization, and create equitable energy distribution. However, the US has been slow to implement the changes needed. To achieve this we will need a skilled and diverse workforce in every US county that will both build and maintain…

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Virtual Power Plants Catalyze Grid Stability in Texas

Bringing Energy Equality to Renters in Texas with Virtual Power Plants

Historically, choosing solar energy as a way to cut down on electric bills and add value to homes has only been a viable option for people with good credit and the ability to purchase a home. With a new program, however, the opportunity to power one’s place of residence with solar is being extended to renters and people with lower credit scores through virtual power plants, community solar and innovative storage.

Project TexFlex
The apartments at 2410 Waugh Street in Houston’s…

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Pecan Street and CIC develop a strategic framework for grid modernization initiatives

Pecan Street and CIC launched a strategic partnership to develop frameworks and projects for resource optimization and energy efficiency with a focus on grid modernization headquartered in Austin, TX

Grid Modernization is a critical next step in the world’s energy transition.  To accelerate this transition, CIC and Pecan Street Inc signed a strategic partnership in February 2020 to focus on shared learning, collaboration and prioritization of new products and services as we move towards a modern grid and utility model.  Our partnership embraces grid resiliency projects to accommodate rapid technological changes in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electric power….

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Corporate Responsibility vs Accountability

Corporate responsibility:  When corporations improve their own footprint and provide better alternatives to the consumer to help them reduce theirs (e.g. zero net carbon products)

Corporate accountability:  When corporations improve their own footprint and that of their consumers, providing better choices without passing on regressive costs

We share the world – the good, the bad, and the ugly, but can we share the blame? Global warming is here, but is any single entity responsible for rising emissions that lead to shifting ecology, extreme weather, and other larger, yet unclear, impacts? It’s easy to point the finger on greedy corporations, peddling…

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Ex-Shell Venture Exec Rozenfeld Founds Firm For Energy Innovation

Houston—The energy industry is still reeling from low oil prices but Alexander Rozenfeld is placing a bet that this is the right time to back innovative ideas in the sector.

Rozenfeld left his position as president of Shell Technology Venture to form his own venture firm, Climate Impact Capital. The past several years have not been kind to venture investors in cleantech and energy, as well as food, water, and other environmentally focused segments. Still, Rozenfeld says he believes that taking a longer-term approach to cleantech investing will prove to be successful.

“We’ve been talking about this for a long…

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US Electrical Infrastructure at a Critical Crossroads

The Road not taken?

‘Energy Strategy: The Road Not Taken’ by Amory Lovins, the founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute, explores two different electrical infrastructure paths for the coming 50 years. The first path is a continuation of present federal policy. The second involves a serious commitment to energy efficiency, renewables, and transitional fossil fuels. Lovins argued, convincingly, that the two roads are mutually exclusive; the year was 1976!

Forty-four years later– and renewables are finally being connected to the US grid at scale.

However, the grid was originally designed to distribute electricity in one direction and supply and…

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