⚡Good morning, and welcome to our first edition of Acclimate in 2024. At the risk of sounding like an airplane announcement, we thank you for choosing Acclimate among your many climate tech information sources.

This year, we're taking a unique approach. While we continue to curate compelling stories and ideas in climate tech, we will also enhance our strategy by examining the prioritization of these concepts. This means that in upcoming newsletters, we won't solely focus on what, why, how, and where, but we will also give significant attention to 'which' topics and ideas hold the most promise.

That's why we need you - our knowledgeable readership - to engage with us through podcast interviews, surveys, and more, in order to help prioritize the complex world of climate tech. If you have expertise in a specific climate tech topic, we would love to hear from you. Please reach out to [email protected].

Ok, now let's start 2023.

In today’s email:

• Top curated links: From Gender Disparity in Climate Tech Funding to China’s BYD overtaking Tesla, it’s all here.

• This week’s top ideas :💡 Ten best clean energy transition ideas from this week's curated links.

• Have a second? Please forward this email to your climate-focused colleagues to help us grow.

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 🔥 Did you know: Only 7% of US climate tech venture capital funding went to female founders in 2023.

• Investing in female-founded climate tech companies can yield higher returns, as they generate more revenue per dollar invested compared to male-founded companies.

• The underrepresentation of women in venture capital firms contributes to the gender divide in funding for female-founded climate tech startups.

• The lack of diversity in venture capital firms may hinder the growth and success of female-founded climate startups, despite their proven potential.
  
  Article analysis at Solvecast
  Read more at www.greenbiz.com

🔥 This is happening: China’s BYD is overtaking Tesla.

• Despite challenges such as tariffs, BYD's entry into the American market seems inevitable, especially considering its potential to offer affordable EVs that can electrify the mass market.

• BYD's wide variety of ranges and styles, along with regular introduction of new models, allows it to cater to different customer preferences and capture a larger market share.

• While BYD currently faces challenges in entering the American market, its wide range of EV models and potential partnership with Toyota position it as a formidable competitor in the US.

• BYD's vertically integrated operations and efficient manufacturing processes make it a model of efficiency, comparable to Toyota's renowned manufacturing prowess.
  
  Article analysis at Solvecast
  Read more at www.economist.com

Curated links, handpicked and summarized.

⚡️ Clean Energy

• New material to boost the efficiency limits of silicon solar cells. Explores new materials to enhance silicon solar cell efficiency, key to boosting clean energy output. Read at techxplore.com | More analysis at Solvecast

• Massive New 12 GW Solar Power Deal Kills Anti-ESG Campaign. Discusses a significant 12 GW solar power deal that underscores the impact of market forces favoring clean energy over fossil fuels. Read at cleantechnica.com | More analysis at Solvecast

🚙 Mobility & Transport

• The Guardian view on fare-free public transport: good for people as well as the planet. Discusses how fare-free public transport in Montpellier aligns with smart city goals of sustainable mobility and accessibility. Read at www.theguardian.com | More analysis at Solvecast

• Ford secures second in US EV sales after a record Q4 in 2023. Summarizes Ford's significant growth in the EV market, highlighting the F-150 Lightning's success as America's top-selling electric truck. Read at electrek.co | More analysis at Solvecast

• Harvard Spinoff Lobs Solid State Battery Bomb At Fossil Fuels. Explores a Harvard spinoff's solid state battery that could revolutionize electric vehicles with faster charging and longer lifespan. Read at cleantechnica.com | More analysis at Solvecast

🏠 Buildings & Cities

• How Wells Fargo is slashing HVAC energy use more than 70% with a simple building retrofit. Discusses Wells Fargo's adoption of Turntide Technologies' energy-efficient motors, reducing HVAC energy use by 70%, enhancing sustainable building practices. Read at www.greenbiz.com | More analysis at Solvecast

• Life cycle energy analysis of buildings: A systematic review. Summarizes key methods and trends in life cycle energy analysis crucial for enhancing the sustainability of buildings. Read at www.sciencedirect.com | More analysis at Solvecast

• Office-to-residential conversions raise questions at the curb. Explores the adaptive reuse of commercial buildings into housing, highlighting its potential contribution to sustainable urban development. Read at www.smartcitiesdive.com | More analysis at Solvecast

• Washington’s cap on carbon is raising billions for climate action. Can it survive the backlash?. Explores how Washington's carbon pricing program funds climate action, indirectly supporting sustainable building by reducing emissions. Read at grist.org | More analysis at Solvecast

💡This week’s top ideas, summarized from our curated links.

Ideas from this week’s curated links (in no particular order):

1. Fare-free public transport. Fare-free public transport improves accessibility, social inclusion, and reduces congestion and pollution. (Source...) 

2. Solid state batteries for electric vehicles. Solid state batteries with longer lifespan and faster charging times can make electric vehicles more affordable and accessible to everyone. (Source...)

3. Sustainable building with rare earth-free motors. Turntide's switched reluctance motors, which do not require rare earth metals, offer a more sustainable solution for HVAC systems, contributing to sustainable building practices and reducing reliance on environmentally harmful materials. (Source...)

4. Higher revenue generation by female-founded climate tech companies. Female-founded climate tech companies generate higher revenue per dollar invested compared to male-founded companies. (Source...)

5. Integration of building information modeling (BIM). Integration of building information modeling (BIM) can enhance energy calculations and evaluation of design alternatives, leading to more sustainable building practices. (Source...)

6. Curbside management. Cities need to consider how curbside space should be managed to accommodate the changing needs of office-to-residential conversions. (Source...)

7. Multijunction solar cell development. The research focuses on creating a device known as a multijunction solar cell, which combines different technologies to convert almost half of solar energy to electricity. (Source...)

8. Expanding solar cooperatives. Solar cooperatives allow property owners to build small solar projects for their communities, providing cheap, clean energy to low-income individuals who cannot afford upfront costs. (Source...)

9. Lack of charging infrastructure. Without easy access to charging, many apartment dwellers are skeptical about EVs. (Source...)

10. Transparent communication and education. Effectively communicating the benefits of carbon pricing and addressing concerns about gas prices can help gain public support and ensure the success of climate action initiatives. (Source...)

Want to connect? Tell us how we are doing or just say hi at [email protected].

Thank you for reading!

- Acclimate Team