Trystar GridPak™ Mobile Microgrid

About Trystar, Power Innovators

Trystar, headquartered in our home state of Minnesota, designs, engineers, and​​ manufactures power distribution equipment and portable cable assemblies for critical infrastructure clients, serving a wide array of industries including governments, data centers, hospitals, and even concert venues. GridPak™ marks the firm’s mission to lead the industry into the future of disaster-response applications with a cleaner, more versatile solution.

Learn More at trystar.com

GridPak’s Objectives, with a Ticking Clock

The project aimed to develop a turnkey, plug-and-play power system that could operate reliably under tough conditions. Timing was crucial in building both market interest and production viability. When Trystar first brought Caztek into the project, it was to develop their ideas for an upcoming trade show event.

Their goals included:

• To create a fully integrated mobile microgrid that generates reliable green energy.

• To create an intuitive product that nearly anyone could operate, especially during emergencies.

  • Additionally, the unit needed to deploy within 10 minutes of arrival at its destination.

• To accelerate development using Caztek's engineering and prototyping capabilities.

• To create a prototype in eight months for the upcoming trade shows. Then, develop a the full product in twelve months.

• To promote Trystar’s mission as a green-tech innovator in energy.

Our Approach and Solutions: From Blank-Page to Breakthroughs

When Trystar approached Caztek, they had a clear vision and a strong set of objectives, but the design itself was still a blank canvas. Caztek responded with a series of focused design sprints, rapid prototyping cycles, and close collaboration to begin shaping the concept into a functional system.

By combining the expertise of industrial designers, engineers, and manufacturing specialists across both teams, we accelerated development without sacrificing quality or usability. The result was a polished, production-ready solution delivered on a tight timeline and built to perform in real-world conditions. Here are a few highlights of the project we achieved as a cohesive team.

Timelines That Were Achieved:

• Proof of Concept (POC): Completed in 8 months

• First Production Model: Completed approximately 1 year after POC

• Next Two Production-Ready GridPaks and Trailers: Achieved 2 years after POC

Notable Goals and Solutions:

Goal:

The unit's width needed to be road legal, yet it still had to contain all the energy systems Trystar envisioned.

Caztek’s Solution:

With limited width, many of the GridPaks' features unfold to maximize both solar-powered surface area and stabilize the unit. Additionally, when the unit is collapsed for transportation, all panels and systems are stored safely and securely for transport over rugged terrain.

Goal:

The unit needs to focus on solar as a primary source of power to prioritize green energy goals.

Caztek’s Solution 1:

As the GridPak system expands during deployment, a tower-mounted solar array was designed to triple the panel's surface area and track the sun across the sky. The result from the solar tracking provides a 30% increase in energy production, while the expanding array is responsible for an additional 200% increase.

Caztek’s Solution 2:

By adding a pivoting weather sensor that monitors the area for changing weather conditions the unit can detect and automatically collapse the solar panels during high winds (+50mph). This prevents damage to the unit and end-users.

Goal:

The system needed enough power to keep disaster relief centers operating, road and construction job sites running, concerts going, and to keep patients safe in mobile units. The GridPak needs to work just about anywhere you need consistent power and fast.

Caztek’s Solution:

To ensure reliable power, we couldn’t rely on solar alone. Especially for overnight use or complete charging before deployment. We equipped the system with a 120 kWh battery that can be charged via solar, fast utility charging before leaving a client's facility (full charge in ~3.5 hours), or a propane generator. When the battery and propane are used together, these sources can provide up to 250 kWh. Propane was selected for its lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to other fuel options.

Goal:

The system had to be safely and reliably operated by first-time users, often in high-stakes, unpredictable environments. It needed to deploy quickly and function across varied terrains and conditions, whether in disaster zones, remote landscapes, or urban sites.

Caztek’s Solution:

To facilitate fast, safe, and user-friendly deployment, the system was designed with an intuitive interface and a step-by-step guided setup, allowing various processes to begin automatically.

• A built-in self-leveling outriggers extends from the unit to automatically stabilize the platform, compensating for a variety of environments. 

• Once leveled, the solar panels deploy autonomously and begin charging immediately.

• During real-world testing, first-time operators were able to fully set up and connect the system to their infrastructure in under 10 minutes.

• The system includes a wide range of connections to support diverse needs, from hospital equipment to concert stages and job site machinery. It automates not only deployment but also its charging process. 

• When ready to move, the unit hitches to a trailer and can be relocated with ease.

Results: From Show Floor to Front Line

GridPak™ made its high-impact debut right on schedule, turning heads at the trade show and proving Caztek’s ability to turn bold ideas into reality under pressure. From blank-page concept to a road-legal, self-deploying microgrid in under a year, our team worked side-by-side with Trystar to engineer, prototype, and train their staff for manufacturing and rollout.  By uniting clean power sources in an intuitive, rapidly deployable trailer, Caztek and Trystar set a new benchmark for mobile energy, positioning both companies to lead the next wave of resilient infrastructure.

The success of the initial unit paved the way for the next generation, and we’re excited to continue building the future of mobile energy together with Trystar.