The support options for phone-addicted hikers are becoming greener and more plentiful. With a recent merger between two companies bent on providing sustainable energy, portable solar power may be taking a deep dive into the mainstream.

Independent power giant NRG has purchased Salt Lake City-based Goal Zero, which produces portable solar power units. "It allows us to expand the opportunity of solar," NRG president and CEO David Crane says of Goal Zero to the New York Times. "Our ultimate goal is to energize people wherever they are."

Goal Zero, which produces a line of portable power packs, solar panels, and charging accessories, has grown from a humanitarian effort by founder Robert Workman into a cross-industry success. Originally designed to bring renewable energy, literacy, and employment to underserved communities in Africa, the products have been widely adapted for use by sports people, journalists, and explorers, as displayed in the company's Ambassador program.