Blue Planet Energy entered 2020 with strong momentum from a breakout year in 2019 for the company’s safe, reliable lithium-ion battery systems and has appointed Chris Johnson new chief executive officer. Formerly chief operating officer, Johnson served on the executive team for over two years alongside company CEO and founder Henk Rogers. Rogers will remain active as Chair of the Board while he also shifts some of his focus to his newest initiative, Blue Planet Alliance, which aims to unite communities and spark global climate change solutions.
“I am confident that Chris will lead the company to new heights as I take on the responsibility of advocating for change through my work with Blue Planet Alliance,” Rogers said. “Blue Planet Energy’s products are instrumental in our global energy resilience. As the first-ever Blue Planet Energy customer, I will continue using the Blue Ion battery at my own residences and provide ongoing feedback to the team as a proud customer as well as a board member.”
In the last year, Blue Planet Energy introduced its flagship Blue Ion LX energy storage system for the commercial market and expanded into multiple new geographies, including active involvement in the largest resilience projects in Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria with non-governmental organizations, including the American Red Cross Solar Schools project. Blue Planet Energy fire-safe battery systems were installed along with solar PV at 125 schools across Puerto Rico that act as emergency shelters. After the recent earthquakes when the utility grid went down, these shelters functioned independent of the grid and provided power, warm meals and other services to local communities around the island.
Beyond moving into other island markets in the Carribean, Blue Planet Energy also expanded into Mexico and U.S. states, such as California and Vermont, to answer the accelerating demand for energy independence and resilient communities in the face of natural disasters and unreliable utility grids.
“It has been an honor to serve on the leadership team over these past two-plus years. I will continue to collaborate closely with Henk as we continue to drive adoption of high-quality, safe clean energy systems for increased resilience globally,” commented Johnson. “The vulnerabilities of the current energy paradigm are continually being exposed by extreme climate events, cyberattacks and grid mismanagement, and they underscore the need for energy independence solutions like microgrids to support our communities. Our mission is to accelerate adoption of clean energy microgrids by making them easy to design, install and service.”
With the Blue Ion LX integrated microgrid solution, Blue Planet Energy evolved its focus from off-grid and grid-edge markets to include resilience applications for business continuity and critical infrastructure. The Blue Planet Energy team joined VERGE 2019 event microgrid partners last October in demonstrating resilience by powering not only the entire conference stage but also several EV charging stations using the Golden State Warriors’ solar system atop the Oakland Convention Center. As local utility PG&E cut power to millions of customers in the region, the VERGE event was self-powered by the microgrid for the duration of the conference and showcased how the Blue Ion LX provides reliable, grid-independent power for commercial, industrial and agricultural customers.
To find out more information about Blue Planet Energy and its current Blue Ion incentive program for homes and businesses, visit: https://info.blueplanetenergy.com/rebate.