Goal Zero’s History

Since 2009, Goal Zero has been a leader in innovation and design in the category of renewable power. From our founder’s mission to empower people everywhere to creating industry-leading products, our unique heritage is cultivated with a sense of purpose and responsibility. We intend to continue paving the way in our humanitarian and environmental efforts, while pushing the boundaries of technology and innovation. Here are some of our proudest achievements.

Our Legacy

September 2021

Goal Zero donates $20,000 worth of product to CORE Disaster Relief for the magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Haiti.

August 2020

Goal Zero introduces the fifth generation of Yeti power with the Yeti X line. Starting with the lightest, most compact Yeti to date, the Yeti 200X launches exclusively with REI in Fall 2019 and everywhere Spring 2020. The comprehensive Yeti X line includes the Yeti 500X, 1000X, 1500X, 3000X, and our most powerful Yeti to date, the 6000X. The biggest three models feature increased inverters capable of powering anything you can plug into a wall outlet.

May 2020

The global pandemic throws a wrench in Goal Zero’s humanitarian project plans, so we pivot and partner with local Utah brands, DPS Skis and Petzl, to build critical face shields for healthcare workers on the front lines.

September 2019

With a rise in demand for reliable, smart home backup systems, Goal Zero creates the first solution for customizing and expanding home energy storage capacities. Using industry-leading technology, the innovative Yeti Link connects a Yeti Lithium battery to Yeti Tank lead-acid batteries.

June 2019

Goal Zero brings power and light to a school in Kalakwasan, Philippines, providing the critical resources that enable the school’s first computer lab.

September 2018

In 2018, Goal Zero achieves major milestones in expanding the Yeti Ecosystem starting with the first WIFI compatibility and remote power control capabilities. The Yeti Home Integration Kit also hits the market, giving Yeti owners an easy way to seamlessly integrate their power station into their home for backup power in case of an emergency.

June 2018

Goal Zero teams up with athletes Mike and Lilliana Libecki, computer company Dell, and the charitable organization Joyineering Fund to travel to India and bring solar power to an orphanage that has never had power.

December 2017

After years of testing and research, Goal Zero creates the very first portable Lithium power station, ushering in a new era of portable battery technology. Lithium is lighter and offers a greater surge allowance than its lead-acid counterpart.

September 2017

Beginning in September, a series of catastrophic natural disasters struck many communities across the globe.

With the help of generous partners, we travel to the community in Kushea, Ghana, with solar power, then to Pashpa, Peru, to enable the first computer lab for a powerless rural community. We close the year partnering with NRG to deploy more than $5M of donated products to Texas and Puerto Rico on the heels of devastating hurricanes.

June 2016

Goal Zero ambassadors Mike and Lilliana Libecki, company employees, and representatives of Human Outreach Project accompany Nepalese Sherpas to Nepal’s famed Khumbu Valley. The team distributes solar equipment; Dell computers; a divvy water filtration system; and gifts to monasteries, schools, and medical clinics to support post-earthquake community improvements.

June 2015

A call arises for a weatherproof, durable power bank that can withstand the elements and be thrown in any pack or bag. We answer with the Venture 30, the first rugged and waterproof phone charger. Our portable, heavy-duty solar panels and power banks combine to give outdoor adventurers a solar power solution that helps them get out further and stay out longer.

April 2015

Goal Zero and nonprofit TIFIE Humanitarian travel to the village of Kushea, Ghana, with solar power to establish a technology center that will provide students and villages access to a better, brighter future. The team also joins forces with Dell, Human Outreach Project, and Goal Zero ambassador Mike Libecki to power an orphanage in Moshi, Tanzania.

August 2014

Goal Zero begins a new era with an acquisition by NRG Energy. Robert Workman, CEO and founder of Goal Zero, states "Our mission is to put reliable power in the hands of every human on earth. Being part of NRG, a company that is similarly aligned, allows us to reach this goal in a much more powerful way. We exist to do good, to empower people everywhere."

December 2013

Goal Zero designers and engineers recreate the Escape and Extreme portable power stations using the Yeti 1250 formula and launch them as the Yeti 150 and Yeti 400.

November 2013

Goal Zero partners with nonprofit TIFIE Humanitarian to deliver power, lights, and tent structures for victims of Typhoon Haiyan in Southeast Asia.

December 2012

Demand for a bigger portable power solution rises and we launch the Goal Zero Yeti 1250 in response. Within a day and a half, we are completely sold out. The same year, our Yeti wins the CES Innovation Award in Portable Power.

November 2012

Goal Zero employees travel to the Northeast to donate solar power products in the wake of Hurricane Sandy to offset widespread power outages. Goal Zero begins an ongoing partnership with disaster relief organization Team Rubicon, powering their communications during relief deployments.

October 2011

With the introduction of ultra-portable, rugged Nomad solar panels, we help people power up their devices from the sun wherever they go. Goal Zero also introduces two new fully rechargeable, multi-functional lights with the Torch 250 and Lighthouse 400.

March 2011

Goal Zero donates hundreds of lighting kits and solar panels to families in Japan who were without power for days due to a massive 9.0 earthquake and tsunami.

March 2010

Goal Zero launches the Extreme Ranger 350 power station. The Extreme Ranger features a bolt-on AC inverter and utilizes lead-acid battery technology.

February 2010

We partner with humanitarian organizations in Haiti to provide batteries and lights to help with recovery in the wake of destruction from a 7.0 earthquake.

July 2009

Goal Zero pioneers a new category of portable, sustainable power with the Escape 150 Portable Power Station – one of the first all-in-one battery and inverter products on the market – as well as the Escape 30 Solar Panel Briefcase and Light-A-Life Lantern

June 2009

Goal Zero launches as a business. Our mission is to empower people by putting a reliable source of power in the hands of every human being. We are founded on an ethos of Zero Apathy, Zero Boundaries, Zero Regrets.

April 2008

The first versions of Goal Zero solar and power products—originally called the GoBe— deploy to rural African communities that have never had power. First tested in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the solar power pack consists of a battery, solar panel, and LED light. This simple system brings light, safety and economic empowerment to villagers.

March 2007

Goal Zero founder Robert Workman started the nonprofit TIFIE Humanitarian (Teaching Individuals and Families Independence through Enterprise) after visiting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and witnessing firsthand the need for helping people out of poverty. His revelation? Teach villagers how to run a sustainable business in their communities and empower them to lift themselves out of poverty.