Latest news with #AspenAerogels
Politico
2 days ago
- Business
- Politico
The battery belt is getting skinnier
America's burgeoning battery belt has gone on a crash diet. According to a new study out today, dozens of clean energy projects have slowed down or died during the first six months of the Trump administration — many of them in Republican congressional districts. 'Projects are being paused, cancelled, and closed at a rate 6 times more than during the same period in 2024,' reads the latest report out of the 'The Big Green Machine.' The website, which tracks U.S. clean energy investments, is run by Jay Turner, a professor at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, and his students. Big projects are the hardest hit, along with those that got federal funds now marked for removal by the Trump administration. Left high and dry in the receding wave are low-income communities, which are the very people the Biden administration sought to help with the vast resources of the Inflation Reduction Act. The report matters because it's one of the first pulse checks on how the battery industry — an emerging area of competition with China — is faring after Trump's slash-and-burn of federal aid. The Big Green Machine also tracks projects in solar and wind energy, but nearly all the action was in EVs and batteries. Overall, the U.S. clean energy industry is still expanding. Turner found that 68 projects, worth more than $24 billion and expected to create more than 33,000 jobs, have broken ground, stood up pilot plants or ramped production. Some are high profile, like LG Energy Solution, which in May started up a new $1.4 billion factory in Holland, Michigan, originally meant to make EV batteries but now intended to make stationary ones. Most others are small, like a new electric-bus assembly plant outside of Peoria, Illinois. But a countercurrent is dampening the mood. Prospects dimmed for 34 projects that are worth more than $31 billion and were expected to create almost 28,000 jobs. They either shut down, delayed timetables by six months or more, lost a significant chunk of funding or shrunk in scale. One example is Aspen Aerogels, a maker of EV battery materials that in February killed plans for a factory in Statesboro, Georgia, that would have created more than 250 permanent jobs. The company called off a $670 million loan guarantee from the Department of Energy and declared its intention instead to expand operations in China. A lot of the impact is still unclear. More than 480 projects worth $234 billion show no outward signs of change. The policies Republicans have passed are so recent that they may not have worked their way through the economy. In the last three months, Congress has passed and President Donald Trump has signed bills that removed key tax credits, taken the teeth out of fuel-economy rules and neutered California's ability to force automakers to sell EVs. But so far, capital is draining away most quickly from the Republican congressional districts that saw the lion's share of investment. GOP districts saw 60 percent of the funding decline, while Democratic districts saw 39 percent. The tide is turning especially in disadvantaged communities, which were a priority for investment under Biden. Census tracts with lower incomes and fewer job prospects saw 47 percent of projects slow, compared to 30 percent in more prosperous census areas. It's Tuesday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, David Ferris. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to dferris@ Today in POLITICO Energy's podcast: Josh Siegel breaks down how Republicans are working to sell the megalaw's energy elements. Power Centers EPA moves to gut climate rulesThe Trump administration is proposing to repeal the federal government's bedrock scientific declaration on the dangers of greenhouse gases, writes Alex Guillén. The move to undo the so-called endangerment finding would run afoul of decades of research and topple most climate regulations. EPA also proposed scrapping all limits on carbon dioxide pollution from cars and trucks. Hours before EPA released the proposal today, Administrator Lee Zeldin asserted several half-truths and inaccurate claims about the finding on a right-wing podcast. Read Jean Chemnick's fact check here. 'Learning curves' for small reactor developerKairos Power is the only U.S. company building a small nuclear reactor. But it's doing so with a technology that hasn't been commercially tested, Francisco 'A.J.' Camacho writes. The company's use of molten fluoride salt as a coolant is a risky bet in an industry that has seen other players stumble. But Kairos executives believe they are up to the task. 'It does take time to stand up these capabilities, but when you stand them up and you've actually gone through those kinds of learning curves and those kinds of scar tissues that you get, we now have a very capable team that's able to deliver and do a lot more,' Edward Blandford, Kairos' co-founder and chief technology office, told A.J. Is $750B EU energy pledge possible?The EU landed a trade deal with the U.S. in part by pledging to buy $750 billion worth of American energy — an almost impossible task, Victor Jack reports from Brussels. The bloc spent €76 billion on energy imports from the U.S. last year, meaning it would need to essentially triple that amount over three years, said Laura Page, a senior analyst at the Kpler commodities firm. Meanwhile the U.S. exported just $166 billion in oil and gas last year, she said. The headline figure is 'completely unrealistic,' Page said. 'The numbers are just beyond wild.' In Other News Split the bill? Power hungry data centers are sparking a fight over who will pay for the extraordinary amount of electricity they need. Scottish roots: Trump's loathing for wind turbines started with a Scottish court battle. Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. The Senate confirmed David Wright to be chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission as Democrats voiced concerns over the agency's future. The National Science Foundation is eliminating senior staff positions as the Trump administration restructures the agency and eyes major cuts to the federal workforce. The EU says it will include nuclear reactors and other technology exports in its $750 billion energy pledge that was part of its U.S. trade agreement. America's network of rapid-charging electric vehicle stations is growing despite the Trump administration's pullback of support. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Barclays Downgrades Aspen Aerogels to Equal Weight, Cuts Price Target to $7
On May 29, 2025, Barclays downgraded Aspen Aerogels, Inc. (NYSE:ASPN) from Overweight to Equal Weight. The lead analyst, David Anderson, also stated that the new price target has been revised downwards to $7.00 from $13.00. A row of electric vehicles all powered by the company's advanced battery systems. Anderson specified in his report that the rating downgrade and price target cut are informed 'mounting challenges in the electric vehicle (EV) market that directly impact Aspen's core thermal barrier business.' The decision primarily stems from diminishing EV tax credits and General Motors' (NYSE:GM) decision to slow its domestic EV production. These factors are why Barclays also cut its 2026 EBITDA forecast for Aspen by 20%. According to Anderson, Aspen's thermal barrier products for EV batteries remain unique, and the company faces limited competition. However, external market conditions have forced the company to pivot strategically. On the other hand, Barclays' Auto analyst Dan Levy projects that General Motors will produce approximately 160,000 vehicles in 2025, down from the initial expectation of 235,000 units. The production is projected to further decrease to less than 120,000 in 2026. The updated forecasts and downgrade signal the financial challenges Aspen Aerogels is expected to face ahead. Barclays' stock price target and rating adjustment underscore the influence of market shifts and regulatory changes on companies closely tied to the evolving EV industry. Aspen Aerogels, Inc. (NYSE:ASPN) is a technology company specializing in high-performance aerogel insulation for energy, industrial, and EV applications. It operates in two main segments: Thermal Barrier (provides insulation for EV batteries) and Energy Industrial (supplies insulation solutions for industries like oil, gas, and chemicals). The company's key product lines include PyroThin thermal barriers for EVs and Cryogel, Spaceloft, and Pyrogel for industrial insulation While we acknowledge the potential of Aspen Aerogels, Inc. (NYSE:ASPN) as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than ASPN and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock. READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires. Disclosure: None. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
President of Aspen Aerogels Picks Up 3.8% More Stock
Potential Aspen Aerogels, Inc. (NYSE:ASPN) shareholders may wish to note that the President, Donald Young, recently bought US$107k worth of stock, paying US$5.35 for each share. Although the purchase only increased their holding by 3.8%, it is still a solid purchase in our view. Our free stock report includes 1 warning sign investors should be aware of before investing in Aspen Aerogels. Read for free now. Notably, that recent purchase by Donald Young is the biggest insider purchase of Aspen Aerogels shares that we've seen in the last year. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at around the current price of US$5.94. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. While we always like to see insider buying, it's less meaningful if the purchases were made at much lower prices, as the opportunity they saw may have passed. Happily, the Aspen Aerogels insider decided to buy shares at close to current prices. Donald Young was the only individual insider to buy shares in the last twelve months. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction! View our latest analysis for Aspen Aerogels Aspen Aerogels is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find small cap companies at attractive valuations, this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. From our data, it seems that Aspen Aerogels insiders own 1.3% of the company, worth about US$5.7m. Whilst better than nothing, we're not overly impressed by these holdings. It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchase. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. But on the other hand, the company made a loss during the last year, which makes us a little cautious. We would certainly prefer see higher levels of insider ownership but analysis of the insider transactions suggests that Aspen Aerogels insiders are expecting a bright future. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Aspen Aerogels you should know about. If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Forbes
01-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Tailwind To Turbulence: Why $8 Billion In Climate Projects Just Vanished
Here's a question climate policy watchers didn't expect to be asking in early 2025: What happens when the tailwind of America's Inflation Reduction Act becomes a headwind? The answer, at least in part, is $8 billion in canceled, downsized, or shuttered climate tech projects in just the first three months of this year. That's not a typo. In one quarter, the United States saw 16 major clean energy and manufacturing initiatives collapse, according to a new report from E2, a nonpartisan environmental policy group. To put that in perspective: it nearly matches the total number of cancellations in the 17 months following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in August 2022. This isn't just a string of unfortunate headlines. It's a signal—flashing red—that the market is cooling, investors are hesitating, and federal policy is wobbling just as the U.S. was starting to cement its clean energy manufacturing renaissance. Let's start with the policy problem. The IRA was the most ambitious climate investment in U.S. history, promising hundreds of billions of dollars to clean up everything from power grids to passenger vehicles to removing CO2 from the air. It did something crucial: it offered certainty. Companies could plan with confidence, knowing that tax credits, grants, and loan guarantees were coming. But that certainty is gone. In recent months, the White House has begun to revise and, in some cases, claw back previously announced incentives. Simultaneously, new tariffs on imports have been imposed, including critical components from China that dominate the supply chain for batteries, solar panels, and other clean energy infrastructure. 'If this self-inflicted and unnecessary market uncertainty continues, we'll almost certainly see more projects paused, more construction halted, and more job opportunities disappear.' says Michael Timberlake, communications director at E2. Uncertainty is kryptonite for capital-intensive industries. It doesn't matter if the money's promised—if companies suspect that promises might be pulled, they won't break ground. E2's report focuses only on large-scale projects. That means the real toll is likely higher. Smaller startups and mid-sized projects—already more vulnerable to shifting policy—aren't tracked as closely, and many may be quietly stalling or dying off entirely. For example, it does not include the hundreds of millions of dollars expected to be cut from the Department of Energy's direct air capture (DAC) hubs program. Consider the case of Aspen Aerogels, which had secured a $670 million loan commitment from the Department of Energy last fall to build a factory in Georgia. That plant was supposed to manufacture advanced materials to make EV batteries safer—precisely the kind of domestic innovation the IRA was designed to supercharge. But the company pulled the plug in February. Instead, it's doubling down on existing facilities and exploring expansion in China and Mexico. The broader context is telling: companies are hedging, looking abroad, recalibrating. While the U.S. climate tech sector wavers under policy reversals and market hesitation, other nations are beginning to see an opening—and Canada, in particular, is stepping confidently into the vacuum. In a surprise but decisive turn, Canada's recent federal election brought the Liberals back into power with a renewed climate mandate. Prime Minister Mark Carney—a former central banker with global economic clout and deep climate finance credentials—has signaled that Canada won't just play defense on climate. It wants to lead. Central to Carney's platform was a bold proposition: to make Canada a global hub for carbon removal and sequestration. Their commitments weren't vague gestures or lofty aspirations—they were grounded in policy mechanisms and timelines. The full value of Canada's Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage Investment Tax Credit (CCUS ITC) will be extended to 2035. The government has pledged to accelerate offset protocol development, support a broad suite of removal technologies, and establish national carbon removal targets for 2035 and 2040. In other words, where the U.S. is hesitating, Canada is placing long bets. This could be more than just good climate policy—it could be good economics. Canada has vast geological storage potential, strong academic institutions, a resource-sector-savvy workforce, and now, a political framework that is signaling continuity and clarity. That's exactly the combination global investors and climate tech entrepreneurs are looking for. For climate tech, talent and capital are fluid. If the U.S. creates headwinds, they will go elsewhere. And with Carney at the helm, Canada is sending a clear message: we're open for business—and we're in it for the long haul. The irony, of course, is that this moment of American uncertainty comes just when momentum was starting to build. But history has shown again and again: industrial leadership is not about who moves first—it's about who stays the course.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Aspen Aerogels, Inc. Schedules First Quarter 2025 Earnings Release and Conference Call
NORTHBOROUGH, Mass., April 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Aspen Aerogels, Inc. (NYSE: ASPN) ("Aspen" or the "Company") today announced that Don Young, President & Chief Executive Officer, and Ricardo C. Rodriguez, Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer, expect to discuss the Company's financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025, during a conference call scheduled for Thursday, May 8, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. ET. The Company also expects to release quarterly financial results prior to the market opening on the morning of Thursday, May 8, 2025. Shareholders and other interested parties may participate in the conference call by dialing +1 (404) 975-4839 (domestic) or +1 (929) 526-1599 (international) and referencing conference ID "302641" a few minutes before 8:30 a.m. ET on Thursday, May 8, 2025. In addition, the conference call and an accompanying slide presentation will be available live as a listen-only webcast hosted on the Investors section of Aspen's website, A replay of the webcast will be available on the Investor Relations section of the Aspen website at where it will remain available for approximately one year after the conference call. About Aspen Aerogels, is a technology leader in sustainability and electrification solutions. The Company's aerogel technology enables its customers and partners to achieve their own objectives around the global megatrends of resource efficiency, e-mobility and clean energy. Aspen's PyroThin® products enable solutions to thermal runaway challenges within the electric vehicle ("EV") market. The Company's carbon aerogel initiative seeks to increase the performance of lithium-ion battery cells to enable EV manufacturers to reduce charging time and the cost of EVs. The Company's Cryogel® and Pyrogel® products are valued by the world's largest energy infrastructure companies. Aspen's strategy is to partner with world-class industry leaders to leverage its Aerogel Technology Platform® into additional high-value markets. Aspen is headquartered in Northborough, Mass. For more information, please visit View original content: SOURCE Aspen Aerogels, Inc. Sign in to access your portfolio
