What The Nrg Acquisition Of Goal Zero Means For Portable Solar

NRG Solar is a company that provides "unique solutions to large commercial, industrial and utility-grade solar customers". Currently, the company claims to be producing 2,000 Megawatts of solar power through the various solar projects and clients under their management. To put that in perspective, 1 Megawatt of power could supply energy for a year for 1000 homes. But this is obviously not coming from a single source, but rather, a range of solar energy producing endeavors.

NRG has worked with a wide range of industries, helping to facilitate solar power to hospitals, universities, school districts, corporations and football teams. This parent company provides some stability to businesses wishing to embrace this new, clean technology in a market landscape that hasn't exactly embraced solar power with open arms yet.

The company's newest acquisition is Goal Zero, a business specializing in portable solar power. Goal Zero was a small business in 2009, posting modest profits servicing the adventure market. Both companies hope this merger will push Goal Zero's products past the niche market they currently serve and bring portable power to the masses.

"I don't like to see those people sitting on the floor by a plug by a bathroom"," NRG Retail president Elizabeth Killinger said. "I want people to be up and about living life freely."

Goal Zero's best-selling device right now is the Guide 10, a portable kit packaged with solar panels that charge AA batteries. It is small enough to be fixed to a backpack for remote travel. iPhones, iPads and other portable devices can then be plugged in and charged.

What will the acquisition do for growth of Goal Zero?

Company founder Robert Workman said, "Goal Zero would grow probably 15 to 20 percent on its own. With the resources of NRG we should be able to really double or triple that each year."

But the big question is the future of solar power in general. The idea of clean energy seems to be attractive to everyone (except of course, to those who profit off the current, non-sustainable system). How will solar power make its way into everyday life for the average consumer?

"We're going to harvest the sun"," Workman said. "The world is changing. I see a vision in 10 to 20 years where every home is a power station and we are using energy we actually create ourselves. The power grid as we know it today is going to end up being a supplemental power grid."

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