By: Bryan Laughery

‘Net Zero’ invokes a spiral of conversations when brought up in sustainability talks, but it’s necessary, possible, and happening. In many ways, leaders in sustainable business are the vanguard of market development; how can market forces develop if intransigent CEOs prevent breakthroughs in independent energy production? Chris Griffin is the founder and CEO of Hover Energy, a breakthrough company that provides the newest and most advanced energy units, converting natural sources into power and accelerating energy transitions around the country. He believes that net zero is coming soon and backs up his thoughts with real effort towards this goal. 

Since 2006, Chris has been an involved sustainability entrepreneur, and he’s always been interested in improving efficiency. In 2007, he launched Natural Citrus Products Corporation, the first Cellulosic Ethanol plant in the United States. Cellulosic Ethanol is a biofuel made from plant cellulose, which is a good bit more renewable than mining dinosaurs. Then, in 2010, Chris created Perfectly Green, Inc., a ‘Waste-to-Energy’ Distributed Power Generation company. Hover Energy is a continuation and improvement upon a previous venture, and it’s the next section in his fantastic sustainability resume. 

If you’re bold enough, you let the market follow you, not the other way around. Hover’s mission is twofold: Chris wants more people to understand where their power comes from in order to better comprehend its application, and the company is building up a greater and greater “grid of grids” across cities every day. Decentralized, this grid of grids makes for a safer and more secure perimeter of energy. 

How does Hover make this grid happen? They are currently collaborating with IBM to put their patented wind-powered microgrid technologies and IBM’s Maximo Application Suite—the central pillar of their Asset Lifecycle Management (ALM)—onto built environments around the country. A microgrid consists of technology to harness natural energy sources, like solar panels or wind turbines, with connected energy storage on the same unit via Hover’s Renewable Energy Router™. Businesses that work with Hover Energy don’t just contribute to cleaner, more aware forms of energy; they also get safe and independent renewable energy for their company!

In the event of a natural disaster, decentralized power can save lives. It can buy more time for rescue crews by keeping more buildings open with lights on while danger zones get evacuated. Microgrids are also much more cost-effective since they’re localized and renewable. They reduce your reliance on the larger grid. The  United States holds an untapped potential of over 30 GW of clean energy within its built environment. As a sustainable, safe, and economical solution, Hover Energy is leading the charge with IBM towards real grid modernization.

Famous architect Buckminster Fuller said, “The best way to predict the future is to design it.” The future of power in the Western world is a more understanding one. In order to empower and personalize electricity, we have to understand it better and get more in tune with our power systems. It’s a collective goal that requires real cultural change, not just microgrids. The partnership with IBM allows for regular remote monitoring for excellent maintenance, all while tracking emissions of the decentralized grid. Hover technology can’t lead us into the future of energy if it can’t self-monitor. Chris’s business model is all about the endless struggle for efficiency and improvement. 

The heavy up-front cost of modern technologies highlights current struggles in the sustainability industry. Regulations and microgrid complexity factors are in play as well, but as this tech gets more developed, decentralized power will be able to grow much more quickly. Chris notes that challenges always come up in business, and he tackles them confidently. He’d likely be making no progress if there were no challenges. 

Chris has been invited to speak at the United Nations, the American Wind Energy Association, and—recently—the Financing Wind North America Conference in New York. Hover was a finalist for VERGE Accelerate in 2018 at the VERGE Asian-Pacific 2018 Clean Energy Summit. He’s spent decades growing his knowledge around green technologies so he could keep the industry moving forward, and he sees no stopping point any time soon. Look for his product demo on the Hover website, and check out the myriad benefits of working towards decentralized power grids. The future doesn’t wait, and businesses getting ready to partner with Chris and Hover Energy are accepting their need to get ahead; in the long run, they may even potentially save time and money, and their independent power may help them in a critical moment. Looking forward, you’re going to want to power up.

Published By: Aize Perez