Kurt Armbruster

Planetary Power Promotes Kurt Armbruster to President and COO with Successful Completion of HyGen Product Development

Redmond, Wash. – November 11, 2016 – Planetary Power today announced that the Board of Directors has appointed Kurt Armbruster President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) effective October 14, 2016. In this expanded role, Armbruster will report to Joe Landon, Planetary Power’s Chief Executive Officer, and will be responsible for the company’s engineering, manufacturing, supply chain and global deployment.

The appointment follows Armbruster’s successful year building the engineering team, and developing and releasing the company’s HyGen hybrid generator to market.

“Kurt is an outstanding executive who knows how to get fast traction and deliver a quality product. He has earned the additional responsibility as President of our organization,” Joe Landon, CEO of Planetary Power, said. “Kurt has been an invaluable leader in our efforts to build a superior product that will make a positive difference to the environment, facilitate a vital communication link for those in emerging markets and provide substantial cost savings for our customers. Without his leadership, we would not be where we are today.”

Under Armbruster’s leadership, the company has followed through on a very aggressive product development schedule. Initial HyGen units are shipping to Latin America in December where they will provide clean, secure, efficient and reliable off-grid power to telecom towers.

“With HyGen in the field, Planetary Power is well on its way to replace the hundreds of thousands of diesel generators currently running at off-grid towers,” Kurt Armbruster said. “HyGen eliminates wasted energy and has shown over 60% energy savings compared to conventional diesel generators.”

Kurt Armbruster brings nearly three decades of professional success to Planetary Power with previous work in aerospace, consumer electronics and global health. Armbruster’s leadership with technology organizations has contributed to rapid growth, expedited product launch, operational efficiency and industry awards. As vice-president of Crane Aerospace’s ELDEC division, Armbruster had profit-and-loss responsibility for a $100 million line of business. Most recently, he was instrumental in the product development and launch of the Arktek Vaccine Cooler for Global Good and Intellectual Ventures Lab — the product garnered an R&D 100 award for product innovation in 2014 and is currently receiving national media acclaim for delivering life-saving vaccines to off-grid communities in rural Africa.

About Planetary Power

Efficient and Reliable Energy Anywhere

Planetary Power’s vision is to make efficient and reliable energy accessible anywhere on the planet. Distributed — or off-grid — energy is the best way to bring power and connectivity to the billions who live off-grid today. Planetary Power’s hybrid power generation technology, HyGen, combines advanced generator technology with integrated energy storage for the most fuel-efficient, off-grid power available. HyGen also reduces fuel consumption by leveraging every available energy source at the site. Planetary Power’s goal is to replace the diesel generators currently powering over one million off-grid telecommunications sites around the world.

The company is backed by world-class investors who share a vision for a connected world powered by distributed energy. Learn more at planetarypower.com.