“Our mission is to put reliable power in the hands of every human on earth.” That noble and dramatic quote comes from Robert Workman, CEO and founder of Goal Zero. Its context is a press release announcing the acquisition of Workman’s Utah company by energy giant NRG.
Houston-based NRG operates municipal solar plants, electric-vehicle charging stations, wind-power, and traditional energy operations. Now, the Fortune 250 company will manage a brand that deals in portable solar, small charging units, and outdoors gear.
Goal Zero was purchased for an undisclosed sum. David Crane, chief executive of NRG Energy, noted the purchase is aimed at repositioning the company in “a fast-moving utility market.”
Crane continued, quoted in a New York Times article this morning, that under NRG’s umbrella Goal Zero “could expand its reach into the mainstream and its technology to a host of other applications — like, say, a ski gondola, to allow for smartphone recharging while riding the lift between runs.”
But as noted in the opening quote by Workman the vision is bigger than charging GoPros in the wilds. Both Goal Zero and NRG operate significant charity arms and work on projects ranging from lighting huts in Congo to getting power to off-grid Haitian schools.
“Being part of NRG, a company that is similarly aligned, allows us to reach [our goals] in a much more powerful way,” Workman said.
We have long been fans of Goal Zero at GearJunkie. Just this week we recognized the brand with a “Best In Show” award for its debut of an innovative charging unit, the Venture 30. It will be interesting to see where the brand goes now under the wing of an energy giant.
Said Elizabeth Killinger, president of NRG Retail, “We are at the forefront of the era where people can live beyond the constraints of the traditional electricity system.” She continued, “The acquisition of Goal Zero enables us to put power in people’s hands.”
