EmPower Advantage

EmPower Solar is a premier commercial, non-profit, and residential solar installation, design, engineering, and contracting company. While our company offices are located on the south shore of Long Island, we are industry leaders working with clients in Nassau County, Suffolk County, New York City (Staten Island, Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan), and Westchester County.

Our success stems from our commitment to the "EmPowering Way" philosophy: professionalism, teamwork, excellence, client focus, and commitment to clean energy.

EmPower's core business is the design and installation of solar power systems. Our mission is to EmPower our clients to control energy costs, reduce their environmental footprint, and achieve energy independence.

Building a Better Future with Solar Power

Installing solar panels is a good investment whether you are a home owner, business owner or an administrator of a non-profit. The benefits of solar are multifold. Solar energy has the potential to significantly reduce your electric bill - sometimes it can even eliminate your electricity costs. Residential solar and commercial solar reduce our dependence on fossil fuels which have harmful emissions. By choosing solar you are choosing to create a healthier future for our children and to support American energy independence.
Read more about the specific benefits of solar for your home, business or non-profit:

Residential Solar Benefits
Commercial Solar Benefits

EMPOWER'S VISION & MISSION

EmPower's vision is a new energy paradigm powered by clean and renewable energy.  The company is driven by the fundamental belief that renewable energy will lead to a more prosperous, healthy and civil world.  Our mission is to 1) EmPower people to use clean energy to control their energy costs, reduce their environmental footprint and achieve energy independence; 2) Operate a successful business that is fit to accomplish our goals, and; 3) EmPower our employees to achieve their potential.

EMPOWERING WAY OVERVIEW

The EmPowering Way is a philosophy that describes how we operate as people and as a company by taking our vision and mission into consideration in everything that we do, which is demonstrated by the utmost professionalism when we interact with our colleagues, clients, partners, collaborators and competitors.  This core philosophy drives the company every day.

EMPOWERING WAY PRINCIPLES

The EmPowering Way is a phrase that describes our philosophy and approach to business. The key operating principles of the EmPowering Way Philosophy are:

Professionalism, Teamwork, Excellence, Client Focus, Commitment to Clean Energy

Professionalism

EmPower's goal is to demonstrate respect, courtesy, integrity and responsibility in our dealings with colleagues, clients, partners, collaborators and competitors.  Our level of professionalism is constant regardless of circumstance.  In fact, challenging circumstances reveal the depth and strength of our professionalism.

Teamwork

Teamwork drives EmPower's success.  We are an interdependent organization that constantly seeks ways to improve teamwork through communication, cooperation and collaboration.  We value different backgrounds and perspectives and recognize that diversity leads to a stronger organization.  Each department and each person has an essential role to play in the overall firm's performance.  To the outside world, we are single integrated entity, each employee a representative of the EmPowering Way.

Excellence

We strive for excellence in everything we do as people and as a company.  Our mission can only be fulfilled by providing the highest quality products and services.  Furthermore, excellence is a passion.

Client Focus

Client focus is central to the EmPowering Way.  By constantly asking the question "what is in our clients' best interests" we are geared towards providing the best solutions for them.  Additionally, providing top notch customer service is a key component of Client Focus, and it is vital to the success of our company.  

Commitment to Clean Energy

The root motivation to EmPower is because the current fossil fuel based energy system is anti-empowering.  Fossil fuel consumption is: 1) a national and economic security threat because it transfers wealth to resource rich countries/governments, and; 2) an environmental threat because it causes pollution and global warming.  These are grave threats that must be and can be addressed.  EmPower is determined to provide solutions to these challenges by promoting and deploying clean energy technologies.  Together, we are EmPowering the clean energy revolution.

EmPower History

EmPower was founded in 2003 with the intent of EmPowering people to use clean and renewable energy to reduce their energy costs, reduce their environmental impact, and achieve energy independence. Company operations began in earnest in 2006 after company principals played a leadership role in the New York Institute of Technology / USMMA US Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon Project. The Solar Decathlon challenges collegiate teams to build and operate off-grid solar homes on the National Mall in Washington DC for a two-week competition, and became a defining event for EmPower.
David Schieren, one of the founding partners, decided to pursue a graduate degree in 2004 to enhance the company’s technical know-how and energy industry network in the New York region. When he first began the Energy Management program at NYIT, he joined the school’s US Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon team.
2005-Solar-Decathlon-HomeDavid became the Energy Team leader and spent approximately two years in that project leadership capacity, with overall responsibility for engineering and joint responsibility for project management, fundraising, communication and leadership efforts.
Meanwhile Greg Sachs, then teaching electrical and mechanical engineering at the US Merchant Marine Academy, had recently founded the USMMA Alternative Power Program, a program focused directly on the design and operation of integrated solar, wind and hydrogen systems.

Ultimately, David and Greg met and quickly teamed up to execute on this project. Greg became the project's Chief Engineer and was responsible for engineering, installation and operation of the unique solar-hydrogen-fuel cell power plant.
The project was a major success. The NYIT/USMMA team placed 5th out of 18 teams, which was exceptional considering that it was the only solar-hydrogen fuel cell system. It also provided a potent outreach and education platform for renewable energy both in New York and in Washington, D.C. A video tour is available online.
For EmPower, the project helped to crystallize its business focus. Through the decathlon, David and Greg learned the capabilities of solar energy, especially when paired with efficient and sustainable building technologies. They also learned that while hydrogen has great potential, it would not be a viable energy storage technology for commercial applications in the near-term because of cost and durability issues. It’s important to note that David and Greg were also introduced to fueling electric vehicles with solar in the project because of the “getting around” contest that required each team to charge electric vehicles from the homes. They also learned critical lessons about team building and leadership.

After the Solar Decathlon and earning his MS, David returned to running EmPower full-time in the fall of 2006 and the company organized its business model around becoming a leading solar energy integrator that would design and install solar power systems. Greg joined EmPower in 2007, and by 2008 the company was well on its way to becoming a leading regional solar provider.