Energy Industry Entrepreneur John Campion Advances Position in Global Energy Storage Innovation

Recognizing the overwhelming importance of reliability for the continued rapid growth of renewable energy generation, CJJ Hybrid Investments, LLC ("CJJ"), a private Jacksonville, Florida-based investment firm, founded by APR Energy founder and Chairman John Campion, announced it has acquired a majority interest in Irish-based HYbrid Energy Solutions Limited ("HES"). 

HES designs and manufactures modular, scalable, energy stations and battery storage solutions designed to provide reliable and efficient power to a broad customer base ranging from remote telecoms base stations to utility grids. With more than 2,000 units in operation in four countries, HES's hybrid systems have logged more than 26 million operating hours and generated more than 80 million kilowatt-hours of sustainable electric power to date.

Through this strategic investment, Campion commits his deep understanding of the complexities of local energy markets and customer needs to accelerate the transition from conventional to sustainable electricity generation globally. Renewable energy's greatest challenge remains the stability of the power it generates - a problem that will continue to prevail as wind and solar energy become more ubiquitous. A growing reliance on intermittent renewable power supplies, while making clean power more broadly available, also creates scenarios in which electrical grids are susceptible to instability or collapse. HES's cutting-edge solutions for energy storage can alleviate these problems and generate more stability for power grids worldwide, resulting in balanced energy portfolios. HES, which has more than 16 million kilowatt-hours of lithium-ion battery storage capacity currently in place, participates in a market that includes companies such as AES, Siemens and Tesla.

For Campion, an Irish-American entrepreneur who has forged a successful, decades-long path in the power generation and energy delivery industries, making a sizeable financial commitment to HES is no coincidence. Campion has spent the past seven years as a strategic advisor to HES, providing him with deep insights into the company's innovation and growth.

"I met HYbrid Energy Solutions founder and CEO Nick McGrath more than 15 years ago when we worked together at GE Energy Systems," noted Campion, founder and CEO, CJJ. "Nick was fascinated even then with the potential for hybrid energy systems and battery storage technologies, which few others could see. After closely following the development of his business, it's exciting to re-associate with Nick to bring HYbrid's compelling value proposition to customers worldwide."

Added Campion, "Just as we've done with APR Energy, we will position HYbrid Energy Solutions as an energy production partner, not just a supplier. That approach, combined with immense amount of operational data we've produced, and the worldwide need to increase the percentage of renewable electrical generation, will enable us to expand the company rapidly."

The investment by Campion enables him - whose entrepreneurial portfolio includes multiple patents, the launches, acquisitions and sales of several energy companies, and the founding of billion-dollar-valued APR Energy, which he still runs today on a daily basis - to provide business and market insights, best practices, and mentorship to this new endeavour. Campion and his team bring more than 150 years of combined experience in management, finance, legal, regulatory, marketing and public relations in a variety of industries, including the energy sector.

"We've spent many years perfecting our technology and deploying it in markets where ruggedness, reliability and cost-effectiveness are essential. To date, the key limiters to our growth have been capital and our ability to communicate the advantages of our energy solutions more widely to potential customers worldwide," said Nick McGrath, CEO, HYbrid Energy Solutions. "John's vision, experience and extraordinary success in the fast-track power generation market are certain to accelerate our growth and improve the all-around quality of our operation. This is especially so in the area of utility-scale energy storage, which is an absolute prerequisite for the successful integration of renewables into local and national grids." 

HYbrid Energy Solutions | www.hybrid.ie