Jasmine Crane works as part of our Energy team, sourcing clean energy and sustainability giants with top-tier talent across the US. Recently, she started her newsletter ‘Current Affairs!’ – a biweekly deep dive into the world of clean energy—exploring everything from energy storage systems to electric vehicles, battery tech, and future mobility. In this edition, Jasmine focuses on February’s biggest investments and the companies leading the way.

February was another strong month for clean energy investments, with significant funding flowing into battery technology, energy storage, electric vehicles, power electronics, advanced manufacturing, renewables, and data center infrastructure.

Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of the most notable investments that will shape the industry’s future.

 

 

Key Trends in February’s Investments

Battery innovation is still leading

A surge in funding for solid-state batteries, lithium alternatives, and recycling technologies. Companies like Form Energy ($450M, led by CEO Mateo Jaramillo) and Our Next Energy (ONE) ($300M, founded by Mujeeb Ijaz ) are at the forefront of long-duration energy storage and alternative chemistries.

Energy storage is gaining momentum

Increased investments in grid-scale storage solutions to support renewable integration. Energy Vault ($200M, led by CEO Robert Piconi) continues to scale gravity-based storage solutions, while ESS ($200M, CEO Eric Dresselhuys) is pushing flow battery technology.

EV charging & power electronics expansion

Strategic funding into fast-charging infrastructure and high-efficiency inverters. FreeWire Technologies ($125M) and EVgo ($200M, CEO Cathy Zoi) are expanding public and fleet charging networks.

Data center sustainability on the rise

Investments in energy-efficient cooling and renewable-powered operations. Rowan Digital Infrastructure ($1.24B, CEO Greg Pettine) is leading the charge on greener data centers.

Advanced manufacturing driving efficiency

Capital flowing into high-tech production methods for batteries, semiconductors, and electrification components. Sila Nanotechnologies, Inc. ($590M, CEO Gene Berdichevsky) is scaling its silicon-anode battery technology to improve energy density.

 

clean energy solar

 

Notable Investments in February

Battery & energy storage

Saronic Technologies (Series C) – $600M (CEO: Tim Harris)

Chestnut Carbon (Series B) – $160M (CEO: Robert Park)

Hidden Level Inc. (Series C) – $65M (CEO: Jeff Cole)

K2 Space Corporation (Series B) – $110M (CEO: Anil Thomas)

Lumotive (Series B) – $45M (CEO: Bill Colleran)

Energy Vault (Series D) – $200M (CEO: Robert Piconi)

Form Energy (Series E) – $450M (CEO: Mateo Jaramillo)

Our Next Energy (ONE) (Series B) – $300M (Founder: Mujeeb Ijaz)

ESS Inc. (Series C) – $200M (CEO: Eric Dresselhuys)

Natron Energy (Series D) – $120M (CEO: Colin Wessells)

 

Electric vehicles & charging infrastructure

VisIC Technologies Ltd. (Series B) – $35M (CEO: Tamara Baksht)

Elvy (Series C) – $150M (CEO: Johan Elster)

Endera (Series A) – $36M (CEO: John Walsh)

Ampcontrol (Series A) – $18M (CEO: Thomas Escher)

FreeWire Technologies (Series C) – $125M (CEO: Arcady Sosinov)

EVgo (Series D) – $200M (CEO: Cathy Zoi)

Terawatt Infrastructure (Series B) – $250M (CEO: Neha Palmer)

 

Renewable energy & power electronics

Energy Transfer Partners – $3B

TransGrid Energy – $270M

Microvast (Series C) – $150M (CEO: Yang Wu)

Enphase Energy – $500M (CEO: Badri Kothandaraman)

Fluence (Series D) – $300M (CEO: Julian Nebreda)

Power Innovations (Series B) – $120M

 

Data centers & sustainability

Rowan Digital Infrastructure – $1.24B (CEO: Greg Pettine)

GridPoint (Series C) – $100M (CEO: Mark Danzenbaker)

 

Aerospace & advanced manufacturing

Heliux – $2.4B (CEO: Anthony Morris)

Sila Nanotechnologies, Inc. (Series F) – $590M (CEO: Gene Berdichevsky)

QuantumScape (Series D) – $400M (CEO: Jagdeep Singh)

Electra.aero (Series B) – $150M (CEO: John Langford)

ZincFive, Inc. (Series C) – $200M (CEO: Tim Hysell)

 

Notable Acquisitions in February

Wheeler Fleet Solutions (Automotive & Manufacturing) → Acquired by One Equity Partners

Pryer Aerospace (Aerospace & Manufacturing) → Acquired by Argonaut Private Equity

US Synthetic (Energy & Oil & Gas) → Acquired by LongRange Capital

intellirent (Electronics & Electrical Distribution) → Acquired by Sandbrook Capital

Altus Power, Inc. (Clean Energy) → Acquired by TPG

Kito Crosby (Industrial Equipment) → Acquired by Columbus McKinnon

FlexScreen (Manufacturing) → Acquired by The RiteScreen Company, LLC

Electro-Methods, inc (Aerospace Manufacturing) → Acquired by Stronvar Aerospace

Americhem Inc. (Materials Science) → Acquired by Pritzker Private Capital

MCAM Northwest (Engineering & Manufacturing) → Acquired by Sandvik

Gibbs Die Casting Corporation (Automotive Manufacturing) → Acquired by Architect Equity

Elkhart Composites, Inc. (Materials Manufacturing) → Acquired by Patrick Industries, Inc.

AeroPartsGroup (Aerospace Components) → Acquired by Coltala Holdings

American Geothermal, Inc. (Renewable Energy) → Acquired by Swegon Group

Astro Pak (Industrial Cleaning Solutions) → Acquired by The Stephens Group, LLC

Intevac (Technology & Defense) → Acquired by Seagate Technology

Richards Manufacturing Company (Electrical Components) → Acquired by TE Connectivity

Medallion Instrumentation Systems (Automotive Electronics) → Acquired by Patrick Industries, Inc.

RPD Energy (Energy Trading) → Acquired by Arcadia

Millennium International Avionics (Aerospace Components) → Acquired by HEICO

ACT Aerospace (Aerospace & Defense) → Acquired by The Thermal Group

Arotech Corporation (Defense & Energy) → Acquired by Albion River

Xendee Corporation (Microgrid & Energy Tech) → Acquired by Schneider Electric

Pine Gate Renewables (Solar Development) → Acquired by Enbridge

gridX (Energy Data Analytics) → Acquired by Uplight

Elysian Ventures (Battery Recycling) → Acquired by Redwood Materials

Ampaire (Electric Aviation) → Acquired by Textron Aviation

 

What does this mean for the industry?

Clean energy investment is accelerating at an unprecedented rate. The surge in funding for battery storage and advanced power electronics signals a future where grid reliability and electrification are top priorities. Meanwhile, strategic acquisitions in EV charging and power electronics point to market consolidation and the race for technological dominance.

 

Key takeaways:

The battery arms race is heating up. Companies like Form Energy, Our Next Energy (ONE), and Sila Nanotechnologies, Inc. are positioning themselves as leaders in next-gen energy storage solutions. With legacy automakers and new EV startups eyeing solid-state and alternative chemistries, expect more funding rounds and M&A activity in this space.

EV infrastructure is maturing. The funding secured by EVgo, FreeWire Technologies, and Terawatt shows that investors are betting big on high-speed charging solutions to enable mass EV adoption.

Grid resiliency is a top priority. With renewable integration challenges, Energy Vault , ESS, and GridPoint are working to ensure power stability through advanced storage and smart energy management.

Sustainable data centers are becoming a reality. The $1.24B secured by Rowan Digital Infrastructure highlights the growing demand for energy-efficient computing infrastructure.

As we move further into 2025, expect continued momentum, with even more capital flowing into breakthrough technologies and sustainability-focused infrastructure.

 

 

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