Harnyss
Local elected and business officials joined Harynss in pulling back the curtain on the energy production and storage solutions company’s new headquarters in far west Fort Worth on Wednesday afternoon.
U.S. Reps. Kay Granger (R-Fort Worth) and Roger Williams (R-Willow Park) joined Mayor Mattie Parker for festivities that included company CEO Kirby Smith and other officers demonstrating the capability of its proprietary Oasis, which they said is a “game-changer” in the production of energy for commercial and residential developments, as well as military operations around the world.
The Oasis is a “microgrid-in-a-box” as a storage unit for hydrogen and renewable energy.
The technology, company officials said, provides safe, cost-effective, and clean energy, perhaps the most overarching concern in an era when stewardship of earth and global sustainability are considered paramount obligations.
Kirby Smith
The building we all stood in on Wednesday was powered by the Oasis.
“We like to say that Fort Worth is where innovation begins,” said Mayor Mattie Parker. “Harnyss is another example of how true that is. This company will help our state and our city remain at the forefront of the energy industry for years to come.”
The Oasis system utilizes supercapacitors, recognized for their operational advantages over lithium-ion batteries in large-scale energy storage contexts. In addition to safety and cost efficiency, the advantages also include extended operational life, and lower maintenance demands.
The system binds the hydrogen to materials inside canisters, lowering the pounds per square inch pressure needed, said Smith, the CEO.
Representatives from businesses around the world were in attendance as were officials from the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, which, like other island territories and nations, rely heavily on imported fossil fuels.
The dependency on diesel-generated power has been a challenge for island nations in terms of energy security, environmental sustainability, and economic development.
However, company officials said, renewable energy storage systems such as the Oasis can provide microgrids that last more than 20 years and with lower cost than diesel-generated power, creating a more resilient and sustainable energy system that benefits both the economy and environment.
Also there on Wednesday was Paul Funk, a retired four-star general who serves as an adviser to the Harnyss. He spoke effusively of the possibilities of a microgrid-in-a-box on the battlefield, calling it a power source that can move “with us wherever we want to go.”
“This kind of innovation to adapt our resources to make difference on the battlefield is a tremendous opportunity,” Funk said. “Some would call it a strategic advantage.”
Smith and Steve Pike, the company’s COO, acquired the intellectual property rights of the technology from a Michigan company in 2019.
Smith has worked in international business for much of his career, including more than 20 years’ experience in full life-cycle product development. More than half of that time has been focused on renewable energy storage. His career began in Taiwan as an assistant OEM production manager for Lerado Technologies Group.
Pike has more than 35 years’ experience in a variety of industries, including aerospace, electronics, agrochemical, railroad, and industrial equipment, with a focus in mergers, acquisitions, and operations.
He has spent the majority of his career working with partners and team members to create value through the acquisition, operation, and disposition of multiple businesses.
Granger called the technology a “great new energy product.”
Said Williams: “For a hundred years, Texas has been the energy capital of the country. And while oil and gas remain essential to our future, Texas is also home to a growing wind and solar industry. And Harynss is a game-changer for the alternative energy industry.”