Hello, climate tech readers! Even without a milestone fusion announcement this week, plenty happened in the climate tech world that\u2019s worth catching up on. From massive solar investments to plant-based steaks and small, modular batteries to back up your home, there\u2019s something for everyone. Let\u2019s dive in.<\/p>\n
Image Credits:<\/strong> Elijah Nouvelage\/Bloomberg \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Last year was chock full of battery manufacturers and automakers announcing one gigafactory after another. If this week\u2019s announcement is anything to go by, 2023 might be the year the U.S. solar industry ramps up in a serious way.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, Hanwha Qcells, a major Korean manufacturer, announced that it would spend $2.5 billion in Georgia to expand an existing factory and build an entirely new campus that would handle nearly everything in the solar panel supply chain, from silicon ingots to finished panels. The move was spurred by the Inflation Reduction Act, which offers investment and production tax credits that should help cover about half the cost of a finished panel, helping to erase some of China\u2019s cost advantage.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the first time the U.S. has attempted to bolster homegrown solar. But unlike a decade ago, when dozens of companies went bust because of slack demand, cheap Chinese panels and the Great Recession, this time might be different<\/a>.<\/p>\n Full TechCrunch+ articles are only available to members. Image Credits:<\/strong> Harri Weber for TechCrunch<\/p>\n<\/div>\n TechCrunch\u2019s Harri Weber made the trek to CES this year, and she saw plenty of climate tech at the massive trade show, which has expanded well beyond VR headsets and home automation (though that\u2019s still there<\/a>, too.) From smart hoses and sprinklers to minimize water use to home energy systems, there was plenty to be optimistic about \u2014 though there was still some AstroTurf, too, both on the show floor and in what was being hawked in the booths.<\/p>\n Image Credits<\/strong>: Project Eaden<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Plant-based meat has had a rough few months, with industry leaders getting hammered in the markets. But not everyone is bearish<\/a> on the sector. Project Eaden showed why<\/a> this week, adding \u20ac2.1 million in funding to an existing seed round.<\/p>\n The Berlin-based startup uses plant-based protein fibers to spin cuts of alternative meat that have a texture that\u2019s much closer to the real thing. Project Eaden has just over \u20ac10 million in funding to refine its technology, and it\u2019s planning on future rounds to build a production-scale plant.<\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Daniele Carotenuto Photography \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It\u2019s no secret that gas stoves are terrible for your health \u2014 asthma rates in households that have gas stoves are significantly higher than those without. They\u2019re also not great for the climate<\/a>. Even though their emissions footprint is small, they let aging gas utilities keep their feet in the door, making it easier for homeowners to keep their fossil fuel systems running long after they should.<\/p>\n But why are we talking about gas stoves this week? U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Rich Trumka Jr. made a comment about how they\u2019re a \u201chidden hazard\u201d and that \u201cany option is on the table\u201d if the industry couldn\u2019t figure out how to clean up its act. Well, that brought the wolves out. Right-wing politicians latched onto Trumka\u2019s statement, hoping to create a new flashpoint in the ongoing culture wars. That might backfire, though, as gas-owning, induction-curious consumers<\/a> start looking into the matter themselves.<\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> John Deere<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The right-to-repair movement got a shot in the arm this week when John Deere signed a memorandum of understanding<\/a> with the American Farm Bureau Federation that would grant access to tools and repair information needed by farmers and other operators to fix the company\u2019s increasingly complex equipment without going through the manufacturer.<\/p>\n For farmers and independent repair shops, it\u2019s not a perfect deal, however, because Deere said it would still withhold \u201ctrade secrets, proprietary or confidential information.\u201d But given that Deere has long pushed back against right-to-repair requests, this is likely welcome news for farmers, operators and independent shops. And it\u2019ll likely help keep well-functioning equipment in the fields longer.<\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Yoshino (opens in a new window)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n It\u2019s happening: Batteries are taking over. I\u2019ve long anticipated that the sheer amount<\/a> of R&D and manufacturing capacity wrought by the shift to electric vehicles would spill over to transform myriad other sectors<\/a>. If this year\u2019s CES is anything to go by, we\u2019ve reached an inflection point.<\/p>\n
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