Through a fund managed by its Diversified Infrastructure business, BlackRock Alternatives has agreed to acquire Jupiter Power, an operator, and developer of stand-alone utility-scale battery energy storage systems, for an undisclosed amount. EnCap Energy Transition Fund I and co-investment partners Yorktown Partners and Mercuria Energy are selling Jupiter, and the transaction is expected to close in late 2022.
WeaveGrid, an electrification software developer for the scalable deployment of EVs on the electric grid, has raised $35 million in Series B funding. Salesforce Ventures led the round. The company plans to use the funds to support expanded product capabilities for utilities, deepen engagement with automakers, and enhance the driving experience.
Upstart Power, a developer, and manufacturer of solid oxide fuel cells, announced the closing of a $17 million Series C financing. ITOCHU Corporation led the round with participation from existing investors Enphase Energy, Sunnova, Rodgers Capital, H+ Partners, and Cricetus Felix Ventures. The funds will help accelerate the commercialization of Upstart’s Upgen platform of backup and grid-augmenting solid oxide fuel cell generators.
Strata Clean Energy, a vertically integrated solar and storage development, engineering, procurement, construction, and operations & maintenance company, acquired Crossover Energy Partners, a clean energy solutions company. The financial terms of the deals were not disclosed. Strata is purchasing 100% of Crossover’s assets and is interested in its development platform.
Clean Electric raised $2.2 million in a seed round led by a Bengaluru-based early-stage venture capital firm Kalaari Capital, to produce 5,000 electric vehicles (EV) battery packs monthly from a proposed manufacturing facility in Pune. Clean Electric said it would direct the funds raised to study safety and performance issues like EV fires, long charging times, and frequent battery replacement. A part of the funds will be used to develop improved products related to fast charging, renewable energy storage, battery swapping technology, and research and development. The other participants in the round involved Climate Angels, LV Fund, 7Square Ventures, and CIIE Regional Innovation Foundation.
Virtual Power Plant (VPP) developer Swell Energy announced a $120 million equity investment round, led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and Greenbacker Development Opportunities Fund with participation from Ares Management Infrastructure Opportunities Fund, to boost the development and growth of its VPP-building tools. Including the latest round, Swell Energy has raised a total of $152 million in funding to date, including previous investments by Ares Infrastructure Opportunities fund, Aligned Climate Capital, Third Sphere, and others.
ABB E-mobility, a provider of electric vehicle charging solutions, announced that it had signed a pre-IPO private placement of approximately CHF200 million (~$209 million) for newly issued shares led by new minority investors. ABB will use the proceeds to execute its growth strategy, driven by organic and M&A investments in hardware and software. The transaction will close during the fourth quarter of 2022.
For reports and trackers on funding and M&A transactions in solar, energy storage, smart grid, and efficiency sectors, click here.
Read last week’s funding roundup.
