Arbor’s ‘vegetarian rocket engine’ power plant is actually an omnivore

Two years ago, former SpaceX engineers used rocket tech to develop a power plant capable of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, with a small asterisk. To draw down CO₂, it burned plant waste, making it a sort of “vegetarian rocket engine” for the grid.

This week, Arbor Energy said it had raised a $55 million Series A led by Lowercarbon Capital and Voyager Ventures on the heels of a partial pivot. Its power plant, rather than sticking to a strict vegetarian diet, is going to be more of an omnivore, capable of burning natural gas in…