VGrid Energy Systems

The rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and the loss of biodiversity have prompted the creation of many innovative technologies to foster environmental sustainability and promote renewable energy. The focus is primarily on the agricultural industry, which plays a vital role in the global effort to sequester carbon, create clean energy, and reverse climate change.

VGrid Energy Systems is pushing this envelope a step further.

The company is reimagining ways to mitigate climate change by sequestering carbon in the soil in the form of biochar while producing clean energy from agricultural waste.

“Our mission is to reverse climate change through building a modular and flexible bioenergy network that deploys easily and scales quickly,” says Jeff Norton, VP of business development at VGrid Energy Systems.

The VGrid Bioserver is a sustainable solution to develop zero-waste habitats, empowering communities to generate valuable resources from agricultural waste. The biomass gasification system uses waste biomass, including nutshells, wood pellets, and chipped trees, to create electricity and co-produce agricultural-grade biochar. The biochar produced by the system can either be used as a soil amendment, as an animal feed supplement, or as a media for filtering pollutants. The company also produces a bio-based liquid plant enhancer called PAF, which, along with its biochar, is OMRI Listed for organic farming.
The high-quality biochar added to soil helps enhances the soil’s ability to hold water and organic matter. The highly porous structure of biochar provides a habitat for soil microbes, which in turn help decompose organic matter to create naturally healthier and more productive soil. By isolating carbon in the soil, biochar can offset some of the greenhouse gas emissions produced through agriculture and other activities.

In addition to its ability to sequester carbon, biochar also allows several other benefits for agriculture. It improves soil fertility, increases crop yields, reduces the need for synthetic fertilizers, and helps retain moisture in the soil, making it more drought resistant.

The PAF liquid plant enhancer improves the availability of iron and other minerals to grass and plants, which are essential in chlorophyll production, promoting photosynthesis and greener grass. It is an excellent source of organic compounds and natural acids that also feed microorganisms and aid plants’ response to biotic and abiotic stress.

One of the standout benefits of VGrid is that it can tailor the production of biochar to meet the specific needs and requirements of its intended use. The innovative solution can grind biochar to particular particle sizes—from fine-grain powdery biochar mix to larger particle sizes. This enables it to widen its use case footprint to gardening and golf courses and produce biochar according to the variable use cases.

VGrid’s core competencies were highlighted when they assisted a southern California-based lemon and avocado grower. The company supplied high-quality biochar to bolster the grower’s capability to increase the yield with the overall vitality of the orchard. The grower wanted to inject biochar into the irrigation line, which meant spraying the biochar through the liquid. VGrid produced biochar under 70 microns particle size, recognizing the equipment's filtration systems and allowing it to bypass the 100-micron filter used in the sprayer.

As the world strives to reduce its greenhouse emissions and environmental footprint, VGrid’s unique and sustainable solution presents a game-changing platform to attain that goal. Carbon neutrality through agriculture can significantly contribute to mitigating climate change's impacts. By reducing emissions and increasing carbon sequestration through the Bioserver, VGrid is fast-tracking the sustainability goals taking center stage.

VGrid was recently selected as one of thirteen companies for the TIME/CO2 “Climate Action Portfolio,” further demonstrating the company’s commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility.