Cleantech Startups Partner with Fossil Fuel Giants

With little investment from venture capitalists, cleantech startups are relying increasingly on traditional energy corporations for financial support.

1 minute read

March 27, 2013, 6:00 AM PDT

By boramici


Eager to avoid environmental problems, improve their public image, comply with regulations and increase production, oil and natural gas companies have begun investing in next-generation technologies, such as waste water treatment solutions.

With Obama's "all of the above" energy policy, fossil fuels are here to stay, writes Ucilia Wang adding that energy companies are investing in renewables as a defense against sudden policy change.

"The growth of the renewable electricity sector will be tied to natural gas," explains Wang. "Solar and wind generation can't produce power around the clock, and utilities will have to match clean power with 24/7 energy like natural gas."

According to Wang, for now, fossil fuels and renewables exist in symbiosis, with oil and natural gas corporations controlling the vast majority of transportation and electricity generation.

Friday, March 22, 2013 in The Washington Post

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 23, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

Looking out at trees on 4th Street in downtown Los Angeles, California.

LA’s Tree Emergency Goes Beyond Vandalism

After a vandal destroyed dozens of downtown LA trees, Mayor Karen Bass vowed to replace them. Days later, she slashed the city’s tree budget.

April 23 - Torched

White and blue Sacramento regional transit bus with one bike on front bike rack.

Sacramento Leads Nation With Bus-Mounted Bike Lane Enforcement Cameras

The city is the first to use its bus-mounted traffic enforcement system to cite drivers who park or drive in bike lanes.

April 23 - Streetsblog California

View of downtown Seattle with Space Needle and mountains in background

Seattle Voters Approve Social Housing Referendum

Voters approved a corporate tax to fund the city’s housing authority despite an opposition campaign funded by Amazon and Microsoft.

April 23 - Next City