Good Morning, here is this weeks overview
Energy Sovereignty in the Age of Geopolitical Fracture
The Rundown: Lately, the world feels like it’s one stray missile or bad election away from an energy panic. We already saw a brief panic early this week with oil prices.
Tankers are wary of an escalation in the Red Sea. Iran threatened (again) to shut the Strait of Hormuz, though they never have followed through. Clean energy supply chains are caught up in U.S.–China politics, causing mega price increases.
I think that the emphasis or lesson here is: if you don’t control your own energy, you’re exposed to this uncertainty.
While much of the political disruptions focus on oil, I think increasingly it’s about the energy system as a whole. And no one wants to be dependent, not after the last few years.
During the rising U.S.- Canada trade conflicts, many Canadians were calling for the power to be shut off to states like New York. Say what you will about this, or that Canada would never do this, or that it’s only a small % of power, but I don’t think you want the most economically important city in your country (New York) relying on our (Canada’s) electricity, even if its only roughly 5%.
From Canada to Europe to Southeast Asia, countries are rethinking how to secure energy access without being held hostage by global shocks.
💰 Investor implications:
Localization as a megatrend: Expect major investment in domestic energy production, battery manufacturing, and grid hardening in politically stable regions.
Resilience premium: Companies and countries able to deliver clean, dispatchable energy with minimal geopolitical risk will command premium valuations.
Re-onshoring deals: North America and the EU are seeing an uptick in clean energy manufacturing incentives, setting the stage for private investment.
My take:
I believe the nations that will dominate the next industrial revolution will have control over low-cost energy. Those who have the cheapest energy will win. And I think China understands this concept quite well; the U.S., though, seems to be dragging its heels a bit.
We're entering an era where nations can produce, store, and deliver energy on their own terms.
If you're looking for where to deploy capital, follow the investments that reduce reliance on unstable partners. Sovereignty is the new arbitrage.
Power Moves
🤝 M&A
A rendering of a previous Eku Energy project
🌍 ACEA and Plenitude (Eni) €588M Retail-Energy Deal
Italian utility ACEA is selling its retail arm, ACEA Energia, to Eni’s renewables unit, Plenitude, for €588.5 million (US$680M). The deal also includes a 50% stake in Umbria Energy and an additional earn out opportunity of up to €100 million if performance targets are met, a clear signal of Plenitude’s ambition to scale its clean energy retail operations in Italy.
☀️ Nexwell Power 248 MWp Spanish Solar Portfolio
UK-based Nexwell Power has just acquired a 248 MWp portfolio of utility-scale solar PV projects in Spain from Q Energy. The package includes seven solar plants across Andalusia and Aragon, four already under construction, the other three in advanced development. When complete, these projects will generate around 500 GWh/year which is enough to power 142,000 homes and avoid 200,000 tons of CO₂ annually.
🔋 Eku Energy Enters New Zealand with 300 MW BESS Acquisition
Macquarie‑backed Eku Energy has purchased a 300 MW battery energy storage project in New Zealand’s Waikato region, tied to Mercury NZ Ltd’s previously consented project. This marks Eku’s entry into New Zealand and expands its global BESS footprint alongside Australia, the UK, Italy, and Japan.
🚀 Tech Watch
Tether founders
⚡ Tether is Turning EV Fleets into Grid-Scale Batteries (Pre‑Seed €1.3M)
Barcelona’s Tether has raised €1.3 million in a pre-seed round (led by Draper B1 and K Fund, with backing from Enzo Ventures, Inclimo Climate Tech Fund, Zero4Climate, COREangels) to commercialize its platform that transforms electric vehicles into a distributed virtual battery. Tether’s AI system coordinates EV charging behaviour to stabilize and support the grid, effectively creating the world’s largest connected battery.
Why it’s important: Spain’s recent blackouts have raised alarms over grid flexibility. Tether aims to provide scalable, software-defined storage without needing new hardware.
What’s next: They’ll use the funds to build out partnerships and expand into Nordic markets, where grid stress and EV uptake are high.
👨💼 Startupbootcamp India’s Clean-Energy Pre‑Accelerator
Startupbootcamp India, a new JV between SBC Australia and BRK Ventures, is launching a 3-month pre-accelerator aimed at early-stage clean-energy startups. They'll support ideas in areas like AI-driven energy, renewables integration, next-gen storage, green hydrogen, decentralized grids, and net-zero solutions. The first cohort runs from August through November, targeting India’s large and urgent energy transition market.
Why it’s important:
Investment is growing in India’s climate tech sector, and this move signals increasing global interest in Indian climate tech solutions. This program provides early-stage founders with mentorship, capital access, and global networks.What’s next:
Applications close July 31. The showcase in November will connect startups to global VCs and corporate partners, laying the groundwork for Series A investment in 2026.
🔌 Engrate raises €2.5M Seed for Grid Integration Software
Stockholm-based Engrate raised €2.5 million in seed funding (led by Maniv, Eviny Ventures, Course Corrected) to scale its software platform. Engrate’s tools simplify coordination between renewables, grid operators, and asset owners, aggregating data, optimizing dispatch, and smoothing variable power flows.
Why it’s important:
As renewables scale, grids are becoming more unpredictable. Engrate provides essential orchestration, enabling flexibility and avoiding bottlenecks. It’s a key piece of infrastructure for a renewable-dominated energy system.What’s next:
They’ll expand operations across Northern Europe, aiming to sign utility and IPP partnerships. If early pilots go well, look for a Series A in 2026 focused on North American expansion.
💸 CapeZero’s $2.6M Seed to Streamline Clean Energy Finance
Brooklyn-based CapeZero secured $2.6 million from Powerhouse Ventures, Climactic, Avesta, Virta, and Stepchange. Their platform automates financial modeling, tax equity scenarios, and capital workflows and thus shrinking project finance timelines from months to minutes and enabling teams to close deals 50–75% faster.
Why it’s important:
Project finance remains a massive bottleneck to scaling clean assets. CapeZero standardizes and accelerates key steps in capital structuring, letting developers focus on deploying projects instead of drowning in spreadsheets.What’s next:
They’ll add features to manage 30 to 40 year project lifecycles, thinking beyond tax equity toward long-term asset management. Expect growth into U.S. utilities, solar, wind, and storage portfolios in mid‑2025.
Latest Developments
📊 Data Drop
🔋🇨🇳 China Back on Top in Li-Ion Battery Supply Chains
China reclaimed the #1 spot in BloombergNEF’s 2025 Global Lithium-Ion Battery Supply Chain Ranking, overtaking Canada and the U.S.
The ranking evaluates 30 countries across raw materials, manufacturing, downstream demand, ESG, and infrastructure. Beijing regained its lead thanks to low electricity costs, a highly concentrated manufacturing base, and accelerated capacity additions across the value chain
Why It Matters
Cost power matters: China’s cheap energy and scale are decisive in battery competitiveness
Manufacturing dominance persists: Western and emerging economies are still playing catch-up in cell production and supply infrastructure
Policy vs. reality: Despite Canada’s IRA-aligned incentives and ESG advantage, it couldn't unseat China once Beijing doubled down on upstream activity
📜 Policy Watch
📜 Policy To Watch This Week
🏭 EU to Subsidize Heavy Industry for Clean Transition
The European Commission is drafting new state-aid rules to offer temporary electricity price relief for energy intensive sectors like steel, chemicals, and cement until December 2030. Companies can receive up to 50% off wholesale prices, covering no more than half of their electricity use. In return, they must invest part of that aid into nuclear, hydrogen, solar, wind, or other low-carbon projects. This is part of Europe’s Clean Industrial Deal and aims to keep strategic industries competitive while they decarbonize.
☀️ U.S. Senate Mulls Rooftop Solar Tax Credit Rescue
A surprise move in the Senate budget talks could restore the 30% tax credit for homeowners who install rooftop solar, a provision that had been removed in earlier drafts. Senator Kevin Cramer said the Senate version may be “more generous” than the House’s. Solar stocks like Sunrun and Enphase rallied immediately on the news. Renewable advocates are lobbying hard, warning that ending the credit could chill clean energy jobs, raise costs for consumers, and flatten momentum in small-scale solar adoption.
