U.S. energy loan chief on hydrogen, peak power demand, pipelines and his coffee mug Cipher sits down with Jigar Shah, director of the Loan Programs Office in the U.S. Energy Department for a Q&A about the energy transition landscape. Q&A Cat Clifford 4 min read
Helping entrepreneurial scientists cross the first ‘Valley of Death’ Many scientists develop breakthrough materials and new processes that could be successful commercial products. But most of these breakthroughs remain in lab notebooks or seminar slides and never translate into startup ideas. Voices David Jaramillo 3 min read
Changes in US tax rules provide big boost for renewables Changes in how U.S. tax credits can be deployed are giving renewable energy financing a big boost. Explainers Bill Spindle 3 min read
Let’s build an apprenticeship program for climate entrepreneurs It’s time for startups to actively adopt a cleantech apprenticeship model from their inception. The urgency of climate change today means we don't have the luxury of letting apprentice-mentor relationships form organically. Voices Alice Havill 4 min read
Why cleantech groups want the EU’s public lending arm to prop them up They want the European Investment Bank to offer them a safety net through so-called public guarantees, which they argue would allow for a faster scale-up of emerging technologies. Explainers Anca Gurzu 4 min read
High costs deter investors from industrial sector technologies Reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the global industrial sector is an uphill battle because investors are reluctant to pour money into costly, emerging technologies like clean hydrogen, according to Bloomberg NEF’s latest findings. Data Dives Amena H. Saiyid 2 min read
Climate tech venture capital spending set to drop 28% in 2023 Venture investments in climate and cleantech are on track to fall 28% below last year's spending, according to PitchBook's data shared exclusively with Cipher. Data Dives Amena H. Saiyid < 1
Japanese venture capital takes up climate finance Rising concern about climate among Japan’s youth combined with a burgeoning enthusiasm in traditional corporate Japan for clean technologies has led to a new focus on venture capital and startups. Latest News Bill Spindle 4 min read
On net zero goals, corporate pledges rise but progress lags Companies are getting better at “talking the talk” of net zero, but they’re not doing nearly as well in “walking the walk." Data Dives Bill Spindle 2 min read