Dallas’ Hover Energy Gets Innovation Award from the British Ministry of Defence

The Sanctuary Award for Innovation was presented to Hover and the HMS Eaglet during a roundtable discussion on energy security and sustainable energy design at the U.S. Embassy in London. Hover CEO Chris Griffin quoted King Charles during the event.

Earlier this year, a Wind-Powered Microgrid from Dallas-based Hover Energy was installed atop a Royal Navy shore base in Liverpool, England. During a recent roundtable discussion hosted by the U.S. Embassy in London, the British Ministry of Defence marked that milestone by presenting the Sanctuary Award for Innovation.

The award was presented to representatives from the shore base, HMS Eaglet, and Hover CEO Chris Griffin.

Dallas Innovates profiled Hover in early 2022, detailing its rooftop “islanded” microgrids, which combine both wind and solar energy generation, enabling companies to reduce their carbon footprint by generating green energy onsite.

The roundtable discussion at the U.S. Embassy focused on energy security and sustainable energy design, and was attended by U.S. and U.K. public and private sector leaders, Hover said. The event was convened by the U.S. Embassy to celebrate the sustainability leadership of the Ministry of Defence, and to share lessons learned from the successful installation of sustainable energy solutions at HMS Eaglet.

Hover’s CEO quotes King Charles

Ian MacVicar and Chris Griffin with the award at the U.S. Embassy roundtable event. [Photo: Hover Energy]

Griffin, Hover’s CEO, alluded to the U.K.’s recently crowned monarch during the roundtable.

“When King Charles was Prince Charles he famously offered the perfect quote for this day and I may adopt it as a Hover vision statement if he’ll allow us,” Griffin said in a statement. “It says, ‘As chief stewards of this beautiful planet entrusted to us, it is our decisions alone that will determine its future.’ Brilliant! And today, we made excellent decisions . . . together. What an exemplary group of leaders gathered to push sustainable energy design forward. We are indeed making progress, one site at a time.”

Proprietary wind power tech blended with solar energy and an electronic control system

The Hover Wind-Powered Microgrid blends proprietary wind power technology and solar energy generation with what the company calls a “ground-breaking” electronic control system called the Renewable Energy Router. The system produces “behind-the-meter” power integration of multiple sources.

As the microgrid’s original equipment manufacturer and developer, Hover designs, develops and deploys microgrids through direct equipment sales as well as power purchase and energy service agreements, the company said.

Hover’s exclusive U.K. partner, Task Contract Solutions, completed the project for the Ministry of Defence, and has partnered with Hover with plans to deploy in many military and commercial locations throughout the U.K.

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R E A D   N E X T

  • As the demand for renewable energy solutions continues to increase, Dallas-based Hover Energy is proactively positioning itself in the market. With its strategic acquisition of Shine Development Partners—a firm with decades of experience financing solar and battery storage projects—Hover plans to expand on its patented wind-powered microgrid technology ahead of scale production rollouts. CEO Chris Griffin notes that this move enables them to manage growth effectively by providing "depth of value and expertise" around worldwide Microgrid development initiatives.

  • In this week’s roundup of hires, promotions, and accolades in North Texas, you’ll also find news from DHD Films, Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty, M2G Ventures, UT Dallas, the Dallas Museum of Art, MOOYAH, Successive Technologies, CG Infinity, and more.

  • Fuel cells for cars? Think bigger—because Toyota sure is. After developing hydrogen fuel cell technology for over 25 years, mostly aimed at carbon-zero vehicles, the company is scaling up the tech for uses far beyond cars. Now it's working with the U.S. government to build a system that can add energy to the grid, power things like data centers, and more.

  • As part of a Department of Energy-backed effort, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines is investing in SAFFiRE Renewables, a new startup that aims to turn corn waste into sustainable aviation fuel. Once the product is fully tested, SAFFiRE says about 7.5 billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuel could be produced by 2040. Southwest CEO Bob Jordan calls the technology "game-changing."

  • Last year, we told you that Dallas-based Hover Energy was heading into the U.K. market with its "islanded" microgrids that combine both wind and solar energy generation—enabling companies to reduce their carbon footprint by generating green energy onsite. Now the company's Wind-Powered Microgrid has been installed atop its first building in the U.K.—and its owner is the Royal Navy. A squadron leader calls the energy resilience provided by the system "vital to the security of the site."