Aug 24, 2021

California drought tackled with VGRID Energy’s Bioservers

To help with ongoing drought issues across California, VGRID Energy Systems is launching its M100 Bioservers and biochar to be part of the solution.

California wildfires are rapidly growing – and The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection are desperate to find ways to reduce the impact of wildfires. Much of the region is facing extreme drought conditions and heat waves that have set record temperatures, making California unprepared for another explosive fire season.

“Last year, California wildfires emitted 112M metric tons of CO₂. That is equivalent to 25M vehicles,” Greg Campbell, CEO of VGRID Energy Systems (VGRID, said in a news release. “To put that in perspective, there were only 1.7M electric vehicles sold worldwide last year.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently called for $2B to reduce wildfire threats. The two implementations Newsom has set is to cut new fire brakes and thin out overgrown forests by removing dead and dying trees that have become tinder from massive blazes. With these new measures, experts worry they still don’t have the proper firefighting and land management resources to adequately fight worsening blazes. VGRID will have an incredible impact on finding the solution to help with these drought solutions in California.

VGRID’s Bioservers converts biomass, such as dead trees, into clean renewable electricity and forms biochar. These energy savers run on various types of biomass and agricultural waste to generate electricity and co-produce agricultural grade biochar to be used as a soil amendment for farmers, which will be a valuable resource for finding drought solutions in California. The biochar soil amendment helps rebuild the soil’s ability to retain water and nutrients and stop them from diffusing away from the plant. The result is less irrigation water required for crops and orchards while improving the soil’s health to increase plant growth. Water conservation and soil health have major roles to play to successfully combat climate change.

VGRID is addressing climate change with technology that enables both avoided emissions and carbon sequestration to directly help in decarbonizing both electricity production and agriculture. VGRID’s renewable heat can be used for district heating, water heating or industrial processes, while the biochar is used for soil, water filtration and biomaterials. With this approach, dead trees or agricultural waste won’t be burned or put the captured CO₂ back into the atmosphere, which will help slow the warming of our planet.

VGRID Energy Systems Inc. is focused on innovating new solutions in renewable energy. The company delivers breakthrough technology to California Central Valley farmers to reduce their crippling water irrigation bills and to help rebuild their farm soil for long-term sustainability.

The company conducts research and development, prototype fabrication of electronics, and complex electromechanical systems with ongoing testing and refinement.

VGRID has approximately 60,000 square feet of laboratories, machine shops, fabrication facilities, and testing facilities in Camarillo, California. For more information, visit here.