1. Quilt unveils a compact heat pump that can be customized to look at home in any room

Learning: "California-based startup Quilt just unveiled a heat pump that packs energy efficiency into a smaller, sleeker design. Its compact indoor units come with front panels in either white oak veneer or plain white; the latter can be painted or wall-papered to match any interior. The units also feature built-in lighting that can be dimmed and color-adjusted. Price before rebates is USD 6,499 per room, including the outdoor unit, permitting support and installation. Quilt will start installing units in the Bay Area this summer, with Los Angeles to follow."

Implication: "The days of clunky, conspicuous HVAC units are coming to an end, as homeowners increasingly demand heating and cooling solutions that don't just reduce monthly bills and emissions, but also integrate seamlessly into their living spaces.

By prioritizing aesthetics alongside energy efficiency, design-forward brands like Quilt are rethinking an industry previously dominated by utilitarianism."

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2. Underground geothermal plant may power Ft. Bliss in Texas

Learning: "Sage Geosystems will be assessing the potential of using a subterranean power storage system capturing solar and wind energy to provide power to Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, through a contract with the US Army. The company incorporates drilling techniques and applies technology learned from the fossil fuel industry."

Implication: "Billed as a 'million-year energy source,' geothermal could completely transform our energy system. Imagine communities (and one already exists) where each home has clean energy from near-limitless underground heat, which would benefit humans by reducing electric bills and air pollution, contributing to a safer, cleaner, and more affordable future.

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3. How Amazon is harnessing solar energy, batteries, and AI to help decarbonize the grid

Learning: "Assembled in neat rows across a westward stretch of the Mojave Desert in Southern California, solar panels at the Baldy Mesa solar farm are turning ample sunlight into carbon-free energy and sending it into the grid.

As it does every day, the sun eventually stops shining, along with the power being produced. At this solar-plus-storage farm, that doesn’t mean the energy stops flowing. Beginning this May, a football field-sized battery energy storage system (BESS) next to the solar panels will send electricity gathered during the day back to the grid, ensuring carbon-free energy is available even at night."

Implication: "Amazon has enabled the development of 10 solar energy projects paired with battery energy storage systems to date–representing nearly 1.5 gigawatts (GW) of battery energy storage capacity. The projects include Baldy Mesa and Bellefield, the largest planned solar-plus-storage project in the US, in addition to Amazon’s first rooftop solar array combined with a battery storage unit, which was installed at Amazon’s San Bernadino Air Hub. All 10 projects are located across the southwestern U.S. in California and Arizona, and are helping power Amazon operations, including fulfilment centers, office buildings, and Amazon’s data centers by matching the electricity they use with renewable energy."

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4. A team of Arkansas designers creates ramped bikeable office building

Learning: "Arkansas has claimed its first bikeable structure – a ramped office building in Bentonville designed by Michel Rojkind, Callaghan Horiuchi and Marlon Blackwell Architects."

Implication: "The Ledger – with its ziggurat-like form and its blocky neighboring parking garage – is one of the tallest structures in Bentonville and offers a diverse range of amenities for workers and locals.

While the city is most famously known for being the birthplace of Walmart, it has dubbed itself the "mountain biking capital of the world," prompting the design team to integrate a 12-foot (3.5-metre) wide ramp into the side of each floor."

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5. Houston clean energy entrepreneur is navigating geothermal's hype to 100x business growth

Learning: “Geothermal energy has been growing in recognition as a major player in the clean energy mix, and while many might think of it as a new climatetech solution, Tim Latimer, co-founder and CEO of Fervo Energy, knows better…

Since officially launching in 2017, Fervo Energy has raised over $430 million — most recently collecting a $244 million series D round. Even more impressive to Latimer — his idea for drilling horizontal wells works. The company celebrated a successful pilot program last summer by achieving continuous carbon-free geothermal energy production with Project Red, a northern Nevada site made possible through a 2021 partnership with Google.”

Implication: "Next up for Fervo is growing and scaling at around a 100x pace. While Project Red included three wells, Project Cape, a Southwest Utah site, will include around 100 wells with significantly reduced drilling cost and an estimated 2026 delivery. Latimer says there are a dozen other projects like Project Cape that are in the works."