Climate has become an increasingly popular topic in 2021, perhaps because of an interview with Eric Dean Wilson about why air conditioning, one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century, is killing the 21st, which we featured in our Best of TechCrunch 2021. List. But this year came in waves – heat waves, that is. New records were set across the board as warmer-than-normal summer days led to the collapse of power grids and dangerous storms ravaged coastlines.
Check out our coverage of the hottest TechCrunch+ climates of 2022:
Manchin’s ultimatum could turn the US into a powerhouse.
In the year In August 2022, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin spoke with the automotive industry to ensure that purchases of cars manufactured in the United States would go toward making EVs more affordable in the Inflation Reduction Act.
EV battery leasing can be a blow to manufacturers, consumers.
Did you know you can rent an EV battery? Vietnamese automaker Vinfant has tested the waters by selling EVs and leasing their batteries. Our own Tim de Chant says this model will help lower the barriers to EV ownership.
Meet 5 startups working to use the Earth’s heat to save the planet
Name five geothermal startups. You can’t, but Tim can. Geothermal energy is being harnessed as a carbon-free energy source, and startups are taking it from the market to one that will change the way we think about energy. I have been fascinated by geothermal energy and its uses ever since I was part of a research project on two-phase flow in a hydrothermal (a subset of geothermal) ventilation system. In this article, Tim highlights five startups working to unlock the potential of geothermal, including QHeat, which aims to harness geothermal energy for heating and cooling in dense urban areas.
EV charging hurts because it has not found the right business model
While I can’t drive an EV, I imagine that a road trip with one could be quite a chore — finding charging stations and paying for time instead of filling the tank — but that may not be the case any time soon. Tim says, “Today’s EV charging business models fall into three main categories – networks operated by manufacturers to promote EV sales, networks that focus directly on consumers, and networks that serve property owners or managers. (That’s a bit small as they use some of the three elements, but it’s close enough. There are also attempts to use advertising to support EV charging, but I doubt it’s a stand-alone model – advertising is a very complex business and very cyclical, not compatible with long-term infrastructure investments. Combination.
Did you get fired? Climate technology needs talent and founders
Looking for a job? The paywall is below the key links in this article. Good luck in your job search!
Despite layoffs in the tech industry this year, climate tech could be a growth opportunity. In the first half of this year, climate technology raised 5.6 billion dollars. “Five years from now, PitchBook expects the climate technology market to be $1.4 trillion, with a compound annual growth rate of 8.8%,” Tim wrote.
