Dive Brief:
- NRG Energy has acquired Goal Zero, a provider of on-the-go solar and charging products.
- NRG will wrap Goal Zero into its newly established Home division, which was formed to manage a 3 million customer retail business that also includes rooftop solar installation, home energy management, and electric vehicle charging.
- Goal Zero fits NRG Home, according to the company, because it gives retail “on the go” customers more “personal power" to use solar power through solar generators that combine a silicon solar panel and battery in a 1,200 watt-hour, 103-pound power pack.
Dive Insight:
Goal Zero grew “nearly 17,000%" from 2009 to 2012. The company earned $35 million in 2013 revenues and was named one of Forbes’ Most Promising Companies.
NRG Energy recently divided its operations into NRG Home, NRG Business, and NRG Renew. NRG Business handles conventional wholesale generation, NRG Renew handles utility-scale renewable energy projects, and NRG Home manages the retail business. NRG Home expects to be able to sell solar rooftops to Goal Zero customers and Goal Zero portable systems to solar rooftop owners.
NRG Energy recently acquired the 475-employee Roof Diagnostics, one of 2013’s top ten solar installers, and set up partnerships with smart-thermostat maker Nest, planned new microgrid projects, and started experimenting with solar PV-battery storage systems.
NRG is already the biggest U.S. independent power producer with a 47,000 megawatt generation capacity, one of the biggest solar developers through its NRG Solar unit, and one of the major retail clean electricity providers through Green Mountain Energy.
